17 November 2014: “Relying on coordinated action across sectors—none of which makes nutrition its primary goal—allows policymakers to avoid responsibility” for achieving global malnutrition targets, according to the Global Nutrition Report (GNR), titled ‘Actions and Accountability to Accelerate the World’s Progress on Nutrition.’ The first-ever global report on nutrition, which was authored by an independent expert group, finds the world is off track in achieving global malnutrition targets, and calls for increased accountability and action to combat global malnutrition.

The GNR finds that 120 out of 122 countries experience at least two out of three common forms of malnutrition. Although the world has made progress in reducing under-five stunting rates, only 22 out of 109 countries are expected to meet the reduction target. Similarly, only five of 185 countries are on course to meet the target on anemia among women of reproductive age.

Investments in nutrition have increased, with major donors increasing support to nutrition programs by 20%. Additionally, governments, UN agencies, donors and others are on track to meet commitments made at the 2013 Nutrition for Growth Summit. However, the report finds, government expenditures for nutrition programs in agriculture, education, health and social protection vary within and between regions.

The report identifies accountability as the key challenge in the nutrition sector, and calls for strengthening accountability and leadership in three areas. First, it recommends the nutrition community intensify its engagement with the post-2015 development process to embed nutrition indicators throughout the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and set more ambitious nutrition targets. At the national level, the authors recommend an accountability infrastructure among nutrition stakeholders, including civil society monitoring and self-evaluation processes for Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) governments. Third, the report recommends filling data gaps as part of efforts to scale up nutrition-based interventions.

The report further recommends, inter alia: expanding the share of nutrition-sensitive interventions in agriculture, education, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and women’s empowerment programs; scaling up capacity as part of efforts to scale up nutrition interventions, such as through hiring and motivating nutrition staff and equipping clinics; and investing in human infrastructure. It underscores the role of sustained global alliances that include a wide range of stakeholders to generate improvements in national level nutritional status.

Lawrence Haddad, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), served as co-chair of the independent expert group that authored the report. [IFPRI Press Release] [Publication: 2014 Global Nutrition Report: Actions and Accountability to Accelerate the World’s Progress on Nutrition] [Report Website] [Report Press Release]