UN pushes urgent nutrition drive to 2030 amid geopolitical challenges

The UN General Assembly has extended the Decade of Action on Nutrition through 2030, originally from 2016–2025, in response to the ongoing global nutrition crisis. Despite progress in areas like breastfeeding and stunting reduction, significant gaps remain in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets for nutrition, driving the extension.

As the global community faces challenges like geopolitical tensions and funding gaps, this extension marks a moment in efforts to eliminate malnutrition and end diet-related noncommunicable diseases by 2030. 

The Decade of Action on Nutrition promotes sustainable food and health systems, social protection, education, trade, safe environments, and strengthened governance for nutrition.

Nutrition Insight speaks to Dr. Lina Mahy, cross-cutting lead for Partnerships for Safe, Healthy and Sustainable Diets of Nutrition and Food Safety at the WHO.

“The resolution calls upon FAO and WHO, in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and UNICEF, to continue leading the Nutrition Decade.”

Together they will lead and monitor the implementation of the initiative and advance policies and investments to accelerate the nutrition agenda with its partners.

Incentive to progress

Mahy explains that the UN extended the Nutrition Decade instead of stopping in 2025, as it “underscores the need to sustain political momentum and close existing gaps in the achievement of nutrition goals in line with the SDG timeline.”

Dr. Lina Mahy from the WHO.“There has been significant progress in some indicators such as breastfeeding or reduction of stunting and the overall work on and investment for nutrition across sectors and settings has improved. However, there is recognition that nutrition needs to be kept high on political agendas, including those of the General Assembly, to continue the progress and avoid setbacks.”

WHO and its aforementioned partners are expected to bolster their efforts through UN-Nutrition and the Committee on World Food Security, she says. No major changes are expected in terms of priorities for the FAO, WHO, and member states. 

Mahy says the extension helps close the funding gap for global nutrition efforts, as seen recently at the Nutrition for Growth Summit last month in Paris, France. A total of US$27.55 billion was raised, although we examined large gaps that remained.

However, “geopolitical tension and lack of trust in institutions, including the UN, can undermine the effectiveness” of the five-year extension.

Progress and challenges 

The most recent Mid-term Review Foresight Paper on the Decade of Action on Nutrition reveals a growing general understanding of how agroecology, biodiversity, and sustainability support public nutrition.

It sees a rise in political will for universal health coverage, coupled with a better understanding of essential nutrition actions. Nutrition-sensitive policies are integrated globally, and there is a recognition of school-based education potential.

The UN extended the Decade of Action on Nutrition to close critical gaps and accelerate progress toward SDG nutrition targets, despite global challenges.For instance, Nutrition Insight recently spoke to UNESCO, which is urging governments to prioritize fresh, minimally processed ingredients while advocating for food education to be further introduced into curricula as childhood obesity rises and food insecurity worsens.

The review also underlines challenges due to underinvestment, social protection, trade, regulatory policies, and governance. To address these gaps, the review recommends increased investment in nutrition, policy coherence, capacity building, nutrition data, and cross-sectoral collaboration.

The Center for Global Development says the nutrition-financing landscape is complex and fragmented, resulting in duplication and inefficiencies. “The absence of a comprehensive data source to systematically track nutrition financing flows further exacerbates these challenges.”

FAO and UNICEF recently spoke to us about a new UN tool measuring minimum dietary diversity and the importance of accurate and strong data tracking.

“All the work that member states and their partners do to improve nutrition is considered a contribution to the Nutrition Decade, as this is a commitment by UN member states to undertake ten years of sustained and coherent implementation of policies, programs, and increased investments to eliminate malnutrition in all its forms, everywhere, leaving no one behind,” comments Mahy.

She adds that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted global progress on nutrition, causing food and nutrition shortages and reducing governmental social services, such as school nutrition programs, that the most marginalized rely upon.

Nutrition Insight previously spoke to UNICEF experts on gender barriers for adequate nutrition South Asian adolescent girls face.