Better nutrition, better lives: Countries’ positioning to fight all forms of malnutrition

Abstract

Objective. To identify how countries have positioned themselves to fight against all forms of malnutrition. Methods. Qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive study of the statements of 91 out of the 127 (71.7%) countries that issued declarations in the Second International Conference on Nutrition. Results. According to the analysis of the official statements from the Conference, countries still responded to nutrition issues in a traditional way. Food systems were part of the narrative and mentioned as part of the problem and solution, but little thought was given to their determinants. Conclusions. The Decade of Action on Nutrition is spurred on by the urgent need to coordinate global endeavors in the fight against malnutrition and could aggregate efforts in prioritizing actions to address the determinants rather than the biological outcomes of malnutrition–which requires commitments–; and strengthening the countries’ ability to implement robust regulatory measures. These measures could be empowered through efforts across different levels, making use of multilateral spaces, and through strengthening civil society participation, including developing better mechanisms for the recognition and control of conflicts of interest across different political spaces.

Keywords

• food and nutrition security
• nutrition policy
• malnutrition
• stakeholder participation