The Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) was a high-level intergovernmental meeting that focused global attention on addressing malnutrition in all its forms. Over 2 200 participants attended the meeting, including representatives from more than 170 governments, 150 representatives from civil society and nearly 100 from the business community. In addition to plenary sessions held on November 19th, 20th and 21st, several pre-conference events for parliamentarians, civil society and the private sector, as well as round tables and side events, provided a forum for participants to delve deeper into specific nutrition issues. The two main outcome documents – the Rome Declaration on Nutrition and the Framework for Action – were endorsed by participating governments at the conference, committing world leaders to establish national policies aimed at eradicating malnutrition and transforming food systems to make nutritious diets available to all.
Why a 2nd International Conference on Nutrition?
There is also a new dimension to the malnutrition problem. The epidemic of obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in developed countries has spread to developing countries. Many poorer countries have started to suffer from a double burden of undernutrition and obesity. NCDs now make up the largest contribution to mortality in the majority of developing countries.
Four developments, one negative and three positive, have led the international community to call on Heads of State and Government to agree on a new global framework to adequately address major nutrition challenges over the coming decades at a Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) to be held in Rome between 19 – 21 November 2014.
The first development is a growing awareness that the continued failure of the international community to tackle malnutrition – and its links with health and sustainable development – may derail the post-2015 development agenda.
The second is the now unequivocal evidence that the world produces enough food to feed everyone, but that emphasis needs to be placed on access to food and to adequate nutrition at the local level, and that food systems need to be more efficient and equitable.
The third development is that governments, civil society and the private sector have started to convene around a common nutrition agenda. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched a “Zero Hunger Challenge” in June 2012, which has resulted in agreement on new ways for stakeholders to work together for tackling malnutrition.
The fourth development is a consensus reached at the World Health Assembly in May 2012 on a set of six voluntary global targets to focus new opportunities for making global progress on the worldwide challenges of nutrition:
- 40% reduction of the global number of children under five who are stunted by 2025
- 50% reduction of anaemia in women of reproductive age by 2025
- 30% reduction of low birth weight by 2025
- No increase in childhood overweight by 2025
- Increase exclusive breastfeeding rates in the first six months up to at least 50% by 2025
- Reducing and maintaining childhood wasting to less than 5% by 2025.
The changing face of malnutrition
Introduction
Malnutrition is one of the world’s most serious but least addressed health problems and a significant contributor to child mortality. Nearly one-third of children in developing countries are either underweight or stunted, and more than 30% of people living in developing countries suffer from micronutrient deficiencies.
Malnutrition undermines economic growth and perpetuates poverty, and its human costs are enormous. Yet the world has failed to tackle malnutrition over the past decades, even though well-tested approaches for doing so exist. The consequences of this failure to act are now evident in the inadequate progress toward the Millennium Development Goal’s target 1c to halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by 2015: more than one in eight of the world’s population still suffers from hunger after progress towards meeting the MDG slowed in 2007 and levelled off.
Unless policies and priorities are changed, the scale of the problem will prevent many countries from laying the foundation for sustainable development that is central to the post-2015 development agenda especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, where malnutrition is increasing, and in South-East Asia, where malnutrition remains widespread and improving only slowly.
Preparing ICN2
Broad and inclusive consultation processes on a new global framework for action will be convened until 2014 and will be essential to shaping a common agenda.
The immediate challenge is to reach consensus on ways to ensure a high degree of policy coherence between food supply and public health to guarantee food and nutrition security for all. Such efforts would include reviewing progress made since 1992, reflect on the existing and new challenges and opportunities, and analyse public policy to scale up proven interventions.
A Preparatory Technical Meeting (PTM) for the ICN2 was held at FAO headquarters, Rome, 13 –15 November 2013. The two and a half-day scientific and technical meeting was attended by country delegates from 61 countries, experts and resource persons, representatives from United Nations, international organizations and other intergovernmental organizations, and representatives from civil society and the private sector.
Country representatives made recommendations for planning the way forward for the 2014 high-level event and agreed that a substantive outcome document is expected to be developed through a Member State-driven process which should be inclusive and participatory. As nutrition is, by nature, multi-sectoral, the outcome document should specify ways by which nutrition may be improved through the food system, including agriculture and trade, as well as in health and social protection. ICN2 should build political will and secure the financial commitment for implementation at country level.
For more information on preparatory events, objectives, background documents and for further resources, please visit the:
ICN2 multimedia
Dr Margaret Chan interview regarding the 2nd International Conference on Nutrition
The global food system is broken. Millions of people aren’t getting enough to eat, and millions of others are eating too much of the wrong foods. Many families can’t afford enough nutrient-rich foods like fresh fruit and vegetables, beans, meat and milk, while foods and drinks high in fat, sugar and salt are cheap and readily available. Undernutrition and overweight are now problems affecting people within the same communities.
Country leaders from around the world gather at the Second International Conference on Nutrition in Rome in November 2014 to commit to action needed to fix the global food system.
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