3 October 2016
UNGA Events Highlight Health, Nutrition and Human Security Links
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Events taking place in coordination with the 71st UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, US have highlighted important links among health, nutrition and human security aims, with calls for action on, inter alia, the nutrition status of children and infants, access of refugees to food supplies, and measures to mitigate the health impacts of air pollution.

un_unicef_sun29 September 2016: Events taking place in coordination with the 71st UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, US have highlighted important links among health, nutrition and human security aims, with calls for action on, inter alia, the nutrition status of children and infants, access of refugees to food supplies, and measures to mitigate the health impacts of air pollution.

The event, titled ‘Supporting Greater Dignity and Protection: Enhancing Self-Reliance in Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Refugee Situations,’ took place at the margins of the ‘High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Refugees and Migrants’ on 19 September. Speaking to participants, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recalled his personal experience of displacement as a child in the Korean War. He noted the increased demands on UN resources at the current time, compared to the 1950s, with 17 different wars and 65 million refugees around the world in need of humanitarian assistance. He deplored the blocking of 40 food trucks from reaching Syrian war victims, and urged all concerned to abandon political considerations when it comes to delivering life-saving food aid.

Ban welcomed channeling support through local communities hosting refugees. He emphasized that refugees deserve sustainable livelihoods, and he supported refugees’ rights to access land and financial services, as well as their freedom of movement, which, he noted are basic to earning a living.

Also on 19 September, the Governments of Germany, Japan and Norway hosted a side event on global preparedness and response to health crises. Addressing the group, Ban noted some markers of progress by the international community in responding to health emergencies, including: the January 2016 recommendations of the High-level Panel on the Global Response to Health Crises; establishment of the Global Health Crises Task Force in July 2016 to advise on implementation of the High-level Panel’s recommendations; and the creation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme, which has already responded to the Zika and yellow fever outbreaks, and the humanitarian emergency in Nigeria. He highlighted that health is a cornerstone of human security, as well as a means to achieving all of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

On 21 September, a group of 29 leaders from the public, private and non-government sectors met for the first time under the auspices of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement, which seeks to promote action and investment in improving maternal and child nutrition around the world. The 29 individuals of this ‘Lead Group,’ whose role is to champion efforts to eliminate malnutrition, have been appointed by Secretary-General Ban, with Anthony Lake, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director serving as Chair. Other members of the Lead Group include David Nabarro (UK), Special Adviser on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Climate Change, Shenggen Fan (China), Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Jimmy Morales, President of Guatemala, Neven Mimica (Croatia), European Commissioner for Development, and Gayle Smith, Administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). At the inaugural meeting, Lake emphasized that malnutrition, especially in infancy and early childhood, affects brain development, and that nutrition is therefore “both a marker and a maker of sustainable development.”

On 27 September, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a series of interactive maps showing hotspots around the world where air pollution exceeds healthy limits. The maps reflect satellite measurements, air transport models and ground station monitors in over 3,000 locations. Causes of pollution were traced to motor vehicle emissions, burning of household fuel and waste, coal-fired power plants and industrial activities, as well as natural causes such as dust and sand storms. WHO reported that close to 90% of deaths from air pollution occur in low-income and middle-income countries, and two-thirds of deaths occur in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region.

Target 3.9 of the SDGs calls for, by 2030, substantially reducing the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination. WHO issued a new road map in May 2016 outlining its plan to accelerate action through collaboration with governments to increase monitoring and develop national policies addressing air pollution.

On 9 September, the UNGA adopted a resolution on the control and elimination of malaria in developing countries, particularly in Africa, by 2030 (A/RES/70/300). The 46-paragraph resolution recognizes the impact of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, and calls for a wide range of measures against malaria, including expanding access to affordable, effective and safe products and treatments such as indoor spraying, free distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets, and preventive therapies for pregnant women and children under five. [Ban Ki-moon’s Remarks at HLM Side Event on Refugee Self-Reliance in Food Security and Nutrition] [UN Press Release on HLM Side Event] [Ban Ki-moon’s Remarks at Side Event on Global Preparedness and Response to Health Crises] [UN Press Release on Air Pollution] [UN Press Release on Appointment of SUN Leaders] [General Assembly Resolution A/RES/70/300]

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