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. 2015 Apr;145(4):663-71.
doi: 10.3945/jn.114.206078. Epub 2015 Mar 4.

The Global Nutrition Report 2014: actions and accountability to accelerate the world's progress on nutrition

Lawrence Haddad  1 , Endang Achadi  2 , Mohamed Ag Bendech  3 , Arti Ahuja  4 , Komal Bhatia  5 , Zulfiqar Bhutta  6 , Monika Blössner  7 , Elaine Borghi  7 , Esi Colecraft  8 , Mercedes de Onis  7 , Kamilla Eriksen  9 , Jessica Fanzo  10 , Rafael Flores-Ayala  11 , Patrizia Fracassi  12 , Elizabeth Kimani-Murage  13 , Eunice Nago Koukoubou  14 , Julia Krasevec  15 , Holly Newby  15 , Rachel Nugent  16 , Stineke Oenema  17 , Yves Martin-Prével  18 , Judith Randel  19 , Jennifer Requejo  20 , Tara Shyam  5 , Emorn Udomkesmalee  21 , K Srinath Reddy  22
Affiliations

The Global Nutrition Report 2014: actions and accountability to accelerate the world's progress on nutrition

Lawrence Haddad et al. J Nutr. 2015 Apr.

Abstract

In 2013, the Nutrition for Growth Summit called for a Global Nutrition Report (GNR) to strengthen accountability in nutrition so that progress in reducing malnutrition could be accelerated. This article summarizes the results of the first GNR. By focusing on undernutrition and overweight, the GNR puts malnutrition in a new light. Nearly every country in the world is affected by malnutrition, and multiple malnutrition burdens are the "new normal." Unfortunately, the world is off track to meet the 2025 World Health Assembly (WHA) targets for nutrition. Many countries are, however, making good progress on WHA indicators, providing inspiration and guidance for others. Beyond the WHA goals, nutrition needs to be more strongly represented in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) framework. At present, it is only explicitly mentioned in 1 of 169 SDG targets despite the many contributions improved nutritional status will make to their attainment. To achieve improvements in nutrition status, it is vital to scale up nutrition programs. We identify bottlenecks in the scale-up of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive approaches and highlight actions to accelerate coverage and reach. Holding stakeholders to account for delivery on nutrition actions requires a well-functioning accountability infrastructure, which is lacking in nutrition. New accountability mechanisms need piloting and evaluation, financial resource flows to nutrition need to be made explicit, nutrition spending targets should be established, and some key data gaps need to be filled. For example, many UN member states cannot report on their WHA progress and those that can often rely on data >5 y old. The world can accelerate malnutrition reduction substantially, but this will require stronger accountability mechanisms to hold all stakeholders to account.

Keywords: SDGs; accountability; indicators; malnutrition; progress.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The Global Nutrition Report’s conceptual framework.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Number of countries experiencing multiple burdens of malnutrition.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Number of countries that are on course to meet each World Health Assembly global target.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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