Other announcements

The IAEA requests proposals for a new coordinated research project on using nuclear techniques to assess the role of nutrition-sensitive agri-food systems in improving diet, health and nutritional status of vulnerable populations. For more information please look at the attached Word document or click here. 

In preparation of the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), jointly being organized by FAO and WHO in cooperation with IFAD, IFPRI, UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank, WTO, WFP and the High Level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis (HLTF), the Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum) is hosting a series of online discussions that explore the current thinking on nutrition-related issues involving a broader range of stakeholders.

These discussions are convened by the ICN2 Secretariat in FAO with the aim to feed into a technical meeting to be held at FAO Headquarters 13-15 November 2013.

The first online discussion has been launched on "Social protection to protect and promote nutrition" in collaboration with IFPRI, ODI, IPC-UNDP, UNICEF, WFP and the World Bank and is open to everyone interested until 24 of June 2013.

Two United Nations agencies, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), are launching a new partnership to improve nutrition among pregnant and breastfeeding women to ensure that children get a good start toward a healthy and productive life.

The new initiative aims to reduce the number of low birth weight babies and stunted children, who, as a result, grow up plagued by health problems and experience a detrimental impact on their learning and economic potential.

To read more, please click here.

Rules on the labelling and content of baby milks and foods for special medical purposes will be better defined in order to protect consumers and distinguish more clearly between foods for normal consumption and foods for specific groups under legislation passed on Tuesday 11 June 2013.

The new rules, already agreed with the EC Council, also cover some low-calorie diets.

"Infants, young children and seriously ill people are clearly not consumers like any others and it is our duty as legislator to fix stricter rules to govern, for example, the composition and labelling of foodstuffs intended for them," said Frédérique Ries, a Belgian member of the ALDE group who is responsible for steering the legislation through Parliament. "On the other hand, it is also important to establish order in the jungle of food products, by abolishing the concept of dietetic food cannibalised by marketing tools."

The new legislation simplifies and clarifies the rules on the labelling and the composition of infant formula and follow-on formula (for babies between six and 10 months), processed cereal-based food, food for special medical purposes and total diet replacement for weight control. It also includes an exclusive list of substances such as vitamins and minerals that can be added to these foods.

To read more, please click here.

ACF International welcomes the new Lancet series on Maternal and Child Nutrition.

The timing of the series is particularly profound as world leaders prepare to meet for their annual G8 summit (Lough Erne, UK, 17 to 18 June 2013), preceded by the UK and Brazilian governments co-hosting a high-level event on Nutrition for Growth.

Please click below to read the ACF International official communication on the Lancet nutrition series.

The Institute for Development Studies (IDS) has published  a policy brief (issue #33, April 2013) with recommendations on how to embed nutrition in the post2015 development framework.

It provides a short overview of the key challenges nutrition is facing, to then proceed to analyze risks and opportunities for having a separate nutrition goal and/or incorporating nutrition indicators and targets into other goals.

To read more and download the paper, click below.

The UN High-level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (HLP) has issued its final report, presenting it to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at a ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York, US, on 30 May 2013. The report is aimed at informing, among other processes, the Secretary-General's forthcoming report to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on the post-2015 development agenda.

The report can be downloaded here.

To read more, please click below.

On June 8 the Principals of five UN Agencies with a mandate in nutrition (FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO) met in London during the Nutrition for Growth high-level  event.



This was indeed a significant step forward for the UN Nutrition family, as the Principals officially handed over a jointly signed letter to the Director General of DFID, Nick Dyer  during a brief ceremony at the DFID Headquarters. The letter formally states the endorsement by the Principals of the UN System Network for Scaling Up Nutrition and its Work Plan for 2013. The UN System Network for Scaling Up Nutrition is co-facilitated by the UN System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN) and the Renewed Efforts Against Child Hunger and Undernutrition ( REACH).

The letter indicates that there is good progress in strengthening the inter-agency coordination and furthering the support to SUN countries and that UN Agencies commit to continue to assist nutrition efforts at country level and simultaneously increase  and enhance UN global collaboration and coordination. As the UNSCN is the platform within the UN system for knowledge and policy coordination on nutrition, established through the ECOSOC resolution 2107 in 1977, this letter of engagement by the Principals is a strong sign of support for the UNSCN. The letter also announces the formal launch of the UN System Network for Scaling Up Nutrition later in the year. This launch will take place in Nairobi (Kenya) on 29 August during the first face-to-face UN Network meeting (27-29 August).

On 8 June world leaders including SUN countries came together to sign a global compact that will prevent at least 20 million children from being stunted and save at least 1.7 million lives by 2020. The Global Nutrition for Growth Compact was endorsed by 90 stakeholders, including development partners, businesses, scientific and civil society groups. An ambitious set of individual commitments to beat hunger and improve nutrition were made including a $4.15 billion financial commitment.

Overall, an important day for Nutrition!