This global discussion highlighted the role of South-South and triangular cooperation (SSTC) in delivering the SDG 2 targets, in particular, reducing prevalence of undernutrition and malnutrition in Africa. It sought to showcase good practices and solutions; raised awareness on the benefits of country-to-country learning on actions, experiences, and lessons learnt; identified concrete actions in support of the 2022 African Union theme on Nutrition.

Globally, there are 821.6 million people that are considered undernourished or starving, out of which approximately 239 million malnourished individuals are living in Sub-Saharan Africa. Around 45 percent of deaths among children under 5 years of age are linked to undernutrition. Furthermore, malnourished children are at risk of losing 10 percent of their earning potential over the life course. Estimates also suggests that, due to child undernutrition, African countries are losing the equivalent of between 1.9 and 16.5 percent of their GDP. Covid-19 exacerbated the already fragile situation of global nutrition especially for poor and vulnerable families, exposing the vulnerability and weaknesses of already fragile food systems.

In building back better, governments take measures to ensure that there is enough nutritious food, distributed fairly, to cover basic nutrition needs – especially for the most vulnerable. This is reflected in the African Union’s declaration of 2022 as the year of nutrition with the theme of “Building resilience in nutrition on the African continent: Accelerate the human capital and social economic development”.

UNICEF and WFP call for better food systems for nutritious diets, better integration of nutrition services in health care systems, better financing, and better data. The world needs a more equitable, sustainable nutritious, efficient and inclusive food systems everywhere, as the UN Food Systems Summit strongly advocated for launching global coalition to support national food system transformation pathways. Similarly, Africa Common Position which was led by AUDA-NEPAD on UN Food Systems provides a synthesis of member states’ expressed views, perspectives and priorities as well as ambitions on key issues shaping Africa’s and the global food systems.

 

Speakers: 

Mr. Jean-Pierre De Margerie, Deputy Director, Programme – Humanitarian and Development Division, WFP HQ
Ms. Kefilwe Rhoba Moalosi, Project Manager Nutrition, AUDA-NEPAD
Ms. Paulina S. Addy, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Director, Women in Agricultural Development Directorate, Ghana
Mr. Musonda Mofu, Director of National  Food and Nutrition Commission, Zambia 
Ms. Carola Kenngott, Head of the SSTC Global Team, WFP HQ
Ms. Sae-Ryo Kim, Senior Advisor for Public Partnerships, UNICEF China

 

Moderator: Dr. Edward Addai, UNICEF Representative to the AU and ECA 

 

Resources

UNICEF (2020), Global Nutrition Report 2020: Action on equity to end malnutrition

UNICEF (2021), Global Nutrition Report 2021

2021 Global Hunger Index: Hunger and Food Systems in Conflict Settings

AUDA-NEPAD (2021), Africa Common Position on Food Systems: Regional Submission to the UN Food Systems Summit

WFP (2021), Evaluation of WFP's SSTC Policy

 

This is the twelfth webinar of the CoP-SSC4C Webinar Series, which is organised by UNICEF, UNOSSC and IPC-IG. Please join the Online Community of Practice on SSC for Children (CoP-SSC4C) if you are interested in following recent discussions on the topic.