4 April 2016: The UN General Assembly (UNGA) has declared a UN Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025), which calls for eradicating hunger and preventing all forms of malnutrition worldwide, and recognizes the role of nutrition in achieving the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 (End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture). The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are mandated to lead on the Decade’s implementation.

As outlined in Resolution A/70/L.42, the Decade will focus on assistance to children under the age of five who are stunted, as also called for by SDG target 2.2 on ending all forms of malnutrition by 2030 and achieving internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under five years of age by 2025. The Decade also aims to address challenges related to obesity, and to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in all age groups as called for under SDG 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages) and target 3.3 to “reduce by one third premature mortality from NCDs through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being” by 2030.

The Decade is “a major step towards mobilizing action around reducing hunger and improving nutrition around the world,” FAO said in a press release. FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva highlighted the Resolution’s recognition that “improving food security and nutrition are essential to achieving the entire 2030 Agenda.” He elaborated, “Children can’t fully reap the benefits of schooling if they don’t get the nutrients they need; and emerging economies won’t reach their full potential if their workers are chronically tired because their diets are unbalanced.”

In implementing the Decade, FAO and WHO will collaborate with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as national governments and multi-stakeholder platforms such as the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and coordination mechanisms like the UN System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN). The Resolution also invites international and regional organizations, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders to participate. The UN Secretary-General is invited to inform the UNGA about implementation of the Decade through biennial reports compiled by FAO and WHO.

Brazil introduced the Resolution at the UNGA, saying it provides an opportunity “to bring together initiatives and efforts to eradicate hunger and prevent all forms of malnutrition, crucial elements of the 2030 Agenda.” Thirty Member States co-sponsored the Resolution. It also endorses the Rome Declaration on Nutrition and the Framework for Action. [UN Press Release] [FAO Press Release] [UN Meeting Coverage] [Resolution A/70/L.42]