Healthy diets are out of reach for more than 3.1 billion people and the world is substantially off track to achieve global nutrition targets. Globally, in 2022, among children under five years old, around 148.1 million were stunted (22.3 per cent), 45 million were wasted (6.8 per cent) and 37 million were overweight (5.6 per cent). The Covid-19 pandemic led to a significant setback, while the health impacts of climate change (including malnutrition) are increasingly clear, especially in the Global South.

Alongside the wider international system, the Rome-Based Agencies [RBAs] have a significant role to play in promoting lasting solutions to malnutrition as part of a wider sustainable food systems transformation, including through support to local actors. Better Nutrition is one of the pillars of FAO’s Strategic Framework (2022-2031); IFAD is committed to raising ambition on mainstreaming nutrition through its Action Plan (2019-2025); and nutrition is a cross-cutting priority across all outcomes of the WFP Strategic Plan (2022-2025).  

However, key to driving nutrition outcomes for all is collaboration – while numerous governments, multilateral organisations (the RBAs and beyond), foundations, civil society organisations, universities and research organisations, and the private sector are already working on tackling malnutrition through interventions in different sectors, a comprehensive and coherent approach to nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitivity is still lacking. To have impact across and between sectors, more is needed to bring stakeholders together. For these reasons – and looking ahead to 2025 Nutrition for Growth – a coalition of member states, working closely with the relevant leads in the RBAs, have come together to develop ‘Rome Nutrition Week’. The week will consist of a series of events, meetings and discussions designed to increase the spotlight on nutrition and reaffirm the importance of collective action and accountability to address global nutrition challenges.

From 4-7 June 2024, you are invited to join us at events across the Eternal City – Rome Nutrition Week is intended to be collaborative and open, and we want to hear your voice. 

The event is organized in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the United Nations World Food Programme