Experts call for governments to take urgent action to tackle child undernutrition

Leading experts call for Governments to commit funds to tackle undernutrition, poor health and poor economic prospects in the developing world - News release

Imperial College London News Release
Under embargo until 00.01 BST
Tuesday 17 May 2011

Governments must help tackle undernutrition with committed funds and decisive action, in order to address poor health and poor economic prospects in the developing world, according to a new briefing paper launched today (Tuesday 17 May 2011).

The paper is authored by ten international experts from the fields of agriculture, sustainable development, trade, policy, and global development, known as the Montpellier Panel, chaired by Sir Gordon Conway, Professor of International Development and Director of Agriculture for Impact at Imperial College London.

The Panel are calling for governments to guarantee financial support to a programme called Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN), which was launched by the United Nations in 2010 and has since been endorsed by over 100 global institutions. Governments of countries including Canada, France, Ireland, UK and USA, as well as donors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank have pledged support to this programme, but many have not. The panel is calling for more countries to align with SUN, and for those who already support SUN to match their political commitment with clear financial contributions for developing countries.

The programme draws on scientific and medical evidence, presented in a child undernutrition 'special issue' of The Lancet in 2009, to give guidance on what action should be taken to improve the health of mothers and their young children, and the economic prospects of afflicted nations.

Hunger and inadequate nutrition causes poor health and stunted growth in a third of all the world's children under 5 years old. The briefing paper authors urge governments to take direct actions to tackle child undernutrition including: giving zinc supplements to manage diarrhoea; Iron-folic acid supplements for pregnant women, to prevent and treat anaemia; de-worming drugs for children to reduce amount of nutrients they lose from their food; and other nutrition-specific health interventions for pregnant women and children under the age of two.

Adequate nutrition is critically important during the first 1,000 days of a child's development, including his or her development in the womb.  Undernutrition during this window causes largely irreversible, long-term effects on brain growth and educational development and leads to an estimated 3.5 million maternal and child deaths annually. The briefing paper says actions like promoting breastfeeding and breast milk supplements containing multiple micronutrients, such as vitamins and essential minerals, and even basic hygiene and handwashing during the 1,000 days can have a significant impact on chronic hunger and child mortality.

Professor Sir Gordon Conway

Additionally, the Montpellier Panel argues that it is just as important for countries that need to tackle child undernutrition to overcome their agricultural challenges to ensure households can grow or produce a range of suitable foods and meet their minimum nutritional requirements.

According to the briefing paper these challenges include increasing the productivity of, and the ability to produce, crops that are high in micronutrients as well as improving the capacity to process or store raw crops so they can be used in times of shortage.

Professor Sir Gordon Conway, Professor of International Development and Director of Agriculture for Impact at Imperial College London, said: "Undernutrition leads to susceptibility to illness, impaired cognitive functioning and lower educational performance, and this directly affects the economic development of a country. Furthermore, investment in agricultural development has a multiplier effect that can improve nutrition and drive economic growth. Studies show that both direct, short-term nutrition interventions and agricultural solutions have been found to be highly cost-effective, so there is no reason why we can’t tackle child undernutrition now."

Briefing paper author Tom Arnold, who is CEO of international humanitarian organisation Concern Worldwide, said: "The first 1000 days of a child’s life are crucial, yet not enough is being done to safeguard the development of children during this period. We are calling for donor governments to support the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) agenda and provide funds to developing country programmes pursuing the SUN agenda."

Co-author Katy Wilson, from Agriculture for Impact at Imperial College London, said: "Agriculture is an important development path to better nutrition. European government donors should support national and regional agricultural policies in developing countries that support food production and ensure access to the means to achieve this, including not only financial contributions, but logistical and educational support from a variety of stakeholders."

Governments of those countries most af fected b y child undernutrition must take the lead in formulating long-term strategies to tackle the problem, say the authors. However they urge donor governments to invest more resources in agricultural research as well as nutritional and agricultural education programmes.

They say it is also key to improve the economic prospects of smallholder farmers by connecting them to outlets at which they can sell their produce and buy resources like fertiliser and seeds, for example by forming large organisations or cooperatives, farmers become more attractive to commercial buyers or international farming contractors. Additionally, government-backed technologies such as mob ile phones with market data services, or infrastructure such as new roads, improve farmers access to buyers and markets.

- ENDS -

The launch of the "Montpellier Panel Briefing Paper: Scaling Up Nutrition" will take place on 17 May 2011 from 12.30 to 14.00 in the Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, Houses of Parliament (Portcullis House main entrance number 3 on map: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/supload/faxmap.pdf).

The following members of the panel (biographies attached) will be available for comment on request before the event:

• Professor Sir Gordon Conway, Chair in International Development, Impe rial College London (Montpellier Panel chair)
• Tom Arnold, CEO, Concern Worldwide (Briefing paper co-author and Montpellier Panellist)
• Katy Wilson, Agriculture for Impact, Imperial College London (Briefing paper co-author)

A full list of speakers available for comment at the event is listed below in section 5 of the notes to editors. Journalists wishing to attend or find out further information should contact:

Simon Levey
Research Media Officer (Natural Sciences)
Imperial College London
email: s.levey@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 6702
Out-of-hours duty press officer: +44 (0)7803 886 248

Journalists wishing to speak to Tom Arnold should contact:

Sarah Molloy, Head of Communications Concern Worldwide (UK) on 020 7801 1855 or sarah.molloy@concern.net or Siobhan Sheerin, Communications Officer, Concern Worldwide (UK) on 020 7801 1856 or siobhan.sheerin@concern.net 

Notes to editors

1.   Scaling Up Nutrition Briefing Paper

The Scaling Up Nutrition briefing paper is available in English:
//workspace.imperial.ac.uk/africanagriculturaldevelopment/Public/Scaling%20up%20Nutrition%20-%20English%202.pdf

and in French: //workspace.imperial.ac.uk/africanagriculturaldevelopment/Public/Scaling%20up%20Nutrition%20-%20French%202.pdf

It is provided under strict embargo until 00.01 on Tuesday 17 May 2011. Please do not forward this copy or make details of its contents public until the embargo time has passed.

The "Scaling Up Nutrition" Briefing Paper is the first policy briefing paper to be issued by the Montpellier Panel. It follows on from the Montpellier Panel Report (//www.imperial.ac.uk/africanagriculturaldevelopment/themontpellierpanel), which was launched in Europe and Africa in October and November 2010. The report identifies a dangerous gap that had emerged between Europe’s bold rhetoric pledging billions to aid African agriculture, and a reality that has failed to channel new investments to promising projects. The Montpellier Panellists said that European governments were at risk of squandering a rare opportunity to transform food production across the African continent.

The paper has been written by Tom Arnold, Montpellier Panellist and CEO of international humanitarian organisation Concern Worldwide, and Katy Wilson from Agriculture for Impact. Its publication today coincides with members of the Panel assembling at the Houses of Parliament to deliver their message to representatives of the UK Government.

2.   About the Montpelier Panel

The Montpellier Panel is chaired by Sir Gordon Conway of Imperial College London and consists of ten experts from the fields of agriculture, sustainable development, trade, policy, and global development. The Montpellier Panel includes a series of experts serving in their personal capacities. The following list details their institutional affiliations.

• Sir Gordon Conway, Professor of International Development, Imperial College London
• Tom Arnold, Chief Executive, Concern Worldwide
• Henri Carsalade, Président d’Agropolis International, Montpellier
• Louise Fresco, Professor of Foundations of Sustainable Development in International Perspective, Universitiet van Amsterdam, Amsterdam
• Peter Hazell, Visiting Professor, Imperial College London
• Namanga Ngongi, President, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Nairobi
• Joachim von Braun, Director, Department of Economic and Technological Change, ZEF, University of Bonn, Bonn
• Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, Chief Executive and Head of Diplomatic Mission, Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), Johannesburg
• Ramadjita Tabo, Deputy Executive Director, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Accra
• David Radcliffe, Senior Policy Advisor, Agricultural Research for Development, Directorate-General, Development and Relations with Africa, Caribbean and Pacific States, European Commission, Brussels
• Prabhu Pingali, Deputy Director, Agriculture Development Division, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle (Observer)

• Website: //www.imperial.ac.uk/africanagriculturaldevelopment/themontpellierpanel

3.   About Agriculture for Impact

Agriculture for Impact is an independent initiative led by Professor Sir Gordon Conway, based in the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Sir Gordon is advocating for more and better European government support for agricultural development in Sub-Saharan Africa. He is calling for better alignment and technical focus of European support, and looking for gaps and opportunities for more effective partnerships. He is calling for Europea n leaders to move the debate beyond summit statements and political rhetoric, and focus on the practical implementation of their commitments to Africa. The team strives to focus on the needs of African stakeholders at local, n a t ional and multilateral levels throughout the course of the work.

• Website: //www3.imperial.ac.uk/africanagriculturaldevelopment

4.   About Concern Worldwide

Concern Worldwide is an international humanitarian organisation dedicated to tackling poverty and reducing suffering in the world’s poorest countries. We work in partnership with the very poorest people in these countries, directly enabling them to improve their lives, as well as using our knowledge and experience to influence decisions made at a local, national and international level that can sign ificantly reduce extreme poverty.

5.   About Imperial College London

Consistently rated amon gst the world's best universities, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 14,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.

Since its foundation in 1907, Imperial's contributions to society have included the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of research f or the benefit of all continues today, with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to improve global health, tackle climate change, develop sustainable sources of energy and address security challenges.

In 2007, Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust formed the UK's first Academic Health Science Centre. This unique partnership aims to improve the quality of life of patients and populations by taking new discoveries and translating them into new therapies as quickly as possible.

• Website: www.imperial.ac.uk

5.   Biographies of the speakers at the event

Heidi Alexander MP

Heidi Alexander was born in Swindon, Wilts hire, and attended the town's Churchfields Comprehensive School. She went on to study at Durham University where she received a BA in Geography and a Masters in European Urban and Regional Change.

She worked as a researcher for Joan Ruddock MP for six years from 1999 - 2005.
Heidi was elected to Lewisham London Borough Council as a councillor for the Evelyn ward in 2004, and served as Deputy Mayor of Lewisham and Cabinet Member for regeneration from 2006. She was elected to Parliament in 2010.

Tom Arnold
Chief Executive Officer of Concern Worldwide

Tom Arnold has been CEO of Concern Worldwide since 2001. He was previously Assistant Secretary General and Chief Economist in the Department of Agriculture and Food in Ireland. He worked for the European Commission for 10 years, three of which were in Africa. He was Chairman of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) committee for agriculture (1993-1998). He served on the UN Millennium Project’s Hunger Task Force (2003-05), was a member of the Irish Hunger Task Force (2007-08) and the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund’s (CERF) Advisory Group (2006-09). He was Chairman of the European Food Security Group (EFSG) a network of 40 European NGOs engaged in food security work (2005-10). He was a member of the Irish Government’s Commission on Taxation (2008-09).

Mr Arnold was elected in 2010 to the nine member Board of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) charged with leading the reform of the international agriculture research system. He is a member of the International Food Policy Research Institute’s (IFPRI) advisory Board. He is also a Governor and Director of the Irish Times, Ireland’s leading newspaper.

Tom Arnold is a graduate in Agricultural Economics from University College Dublin and has Masters Degrees from the Catholic University of Louvain and Trinity College Dublin. He has received Honorary Doctorates of Laws from the National University of Ireland and Science from University College Dublin.

Professor Joachim von Braun
Director, Department of Economic and Technical Change, Centre for Development Research, University of Bonn

Joachim von Braun is an applied and agricultural economist, with a Doctoral degree from University of Goettingen, Germany. He joined ZEF in December 2009. He was also a Director at ZEF during its foundation phase 1997-2002. Before returning to ZEF, von Braun was Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) based in Washington, DC, U.S.A. 2002 to 2009. IFPRI provides research based solutions for ending hunger and malnutrition, and while being the primary global institute in the field of agricultural economics and food policy research it is also among the top 1% of institutes engaging in development economics.

Under von Braun’s leadership IFPRI more than doubled to more than 300 staff members with teams based in Africa, Asia and Latin America. von Braun also has been Professor for Food Economics and Policy at Kiel University, Germany. His published research addresses international development economics topics, incl. science and technology; policy issues of trade and aid; poverty and famine; health, and nutrition, and a range of agricultural economics research issues. von Braun serves on boards of publishers of journals, as well as international advisory bodies of research and policy organizations.

2000-03 he was President of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE), is member of Academies in Germany and China, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences; among awards received by von Braun are a honorary Doctoral degree from University of Hohenheim, and the Bertebos Prize of the Swedish Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Professor Sir Gordon Conway
Professor of International Development at Imperial College London, Montpellier Panel Chairman

Gordon Conway trained in agricultural ecology, attending the Universities of Bangor, Cambridge, West Indies (Trinidad) and California (Davis). In the 1960's he was a pioneer of sustainable agriculture developing integrated pest management programs for the State of Sabah in Malaysia. He joined Imperial College in 1970 setting up the Centre for Environmental Technology in 1976.

In the 1970s and 1980s he lived and worked extensively in Asia and the Middle East, for the Ford Foundation, World Bank and USAID. He directed the Sustainable Agriculture Programme at IIED and then became representative of the Ford Foundation in New Delhi. Subsequently he became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex and Chair of IDS.

From 1998-2004 he was President of the Rockefeller Foundation and from 2004-2008 Chief Scientific Adviser to DFID and President of the Royal Geographical Society. He is a KCMG, Deputy Lieutenant of East Sussex, Hon Fell RAEng and FRS. He holds five honorary degrees and fellowships.  He is the author of ‘The Doubly Green Revolution: Food for all in the 21st Century' Penguin and Cornell.

Anna Taylor
Senior Nutrition Adviser, UK Department for International Development

Anna Taylor is the Senior Nutrition Adviser at the UK Department for International Development, providing policy advice and support to the scaling up of the UK's multi-sectoral programme to tackle undernutrition.  She is ac ti ve ly i nvolved in supporting the global Scaling Up Nutrition movement. Before wo rking for DFID she was Head of Hu nger Reduction for Save the Children UK leading a team of nutrition and food security experts to deliver the organisational hunger strategy across development and humanitarian contexts.  The role included quality assurance for the technical support provided to operational research, policy approval, research and programme evidence collection and high-level advocacy.  She has published in the areas of infant and young child feeding, emergency nutrition assessment methods, community based nutrition programmes.  She has also worked for UNICEF and the UK's Department of Health.  She has worked in Bangladesh, Uganda, Tanzania and DPRK.