Chef and Campaigner Jamie Oliver joins Ministers of Health at the 69th World Health Assembly to talk about nutrition globally

Nahas Angula, member of the SUN Movement Lead Group and former Prime Minister of Namibia with Jamie Oliver, celebrity chef.

On 23 May 2016, in the side lines of the Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly, Ministers of Health were joined by nutrition champions in Geneva to talk about the status of nutrition globally. The event, titled “Accelerating National Progress on Tackling child Obesity and Child Undernutrition in a Sustainable Way” called for national level SMART commitments to nutrition.

Speaking on a special panel discussion, Jamie Oliver was joined by the head of the World Health Organisation Margaret Chan; Finnish minister of family affairs and social services Juha Rehula; Former President of Namibia Nahas Angula; health ministers from Canada, Kenya, Netherlands, UK, and USA; and government representatives from Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Mexico, and Zambia, and chair of the Global Nutrition Report Corinna Hawkes.

“Let’s put an end to obesity and undernourishment, the world over” – Jamie Oliver, Chef and Campaigner

The event saw countries including Canada, Finland, Kenya, Namibia, the USA and the UK all make SMART commitments to tackle the global crisis of child malnutrition, placing their flags on the Food Revolution map. Chilean Senator Guido Girardi announced bold commitments that will restrict marketing junk food to children and improve labelling and the Former Prime Minister of Namibia used the meeting to sound the alarm bell on the intensifying El Nino-driven food crisis in sub-saharan Africa.

“I’ve never been more depressed about child health; it frightens the life out of me, whether it’s hunger and malnutrition or obesity and malnutrition….the mechanisms behind Big Food Inc. are incredible. Yes without doubt in my opinion they have caused the problem, but in my opinion they can solve the problem as well.” – Jamie Oliver, Chef and Campaigner

Read a blog by Fran Roberts of Save the Children “What happened when Jamie Oliver met Save the Children”.

Read an article on Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Campaign website “Jamie goes live from the World Health Assembly”.

Read more about the Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly 

Learn more about SMART Commitments at the Global Nutrition Report

Read a summary about Global Commitments to Action for Nutrition 

Learn about the SUN Country Network Meeting about National Nutrition Targets and Commitments to Nutrition by SUN Countries