By Fatima Zahra Muhammad
ASHENEWS reports that the United Nations (UN), and the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched an appeal fund to tackle malnutrition in 30 million children in Nigeria, and 14 other countries.
This is contained in a statement released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday.
This online platform further reports FAO and WHO as jointly acknowledging the role of the COVID-19 pandemic, increased conflict, climate shocks, and the rising costs of living as key factors worsening child malnutrition in the affected countries.
According to the statement, the fund seeks to strengthen access to nutrition and health services also seeks to address acute malnutrition through early detection, treatment, and most importantly, prevention.
The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Qu Dongyu said the project brings together the FAO, the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Refugee Agency, and the United Nations Children’s Fund to address the pressing demand for urgent action.
“Currently, more than 30 million children in the 15 worst-affected countries suffer from wasting – or acute malnutrition – and eight million of these children are severely wasted, the deadliest form of undernutrition.
“This is a major threat to children’s lives and their long-term health and development, the impacts of which are felt by individuals, their communities, and their countries.
“The Global Action Plan addresses the need for a multi-sectoral approach and highlights priority actions across maternal and child nutrition through the food, health, water and sanitation, and social protection systems.”
“In response, five UN agencies – the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the UN Refugee Agency, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Food Programme, and the World Health Organisation are calling for accelerated progress on the Global Action Plan on Child Wasting.
“We must ensure availability, affordability, and accessibility of healthy diets for young children, girls, and pregnant and lactating women. We need urgent action now to save lives, and to tackle the root causes of acute malnutrition, working together across all sectors,” Qu Dongyu.
On his part, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), stressed the need for immediate attention to avert a crisis.
“The global food crisis is also a health crisis, and a vicious cycle: malnutrition leads to disease, and disease leads to malnutrition.
“Urgent support is needed now in the hardest hit countries to protect children’s lives and health, including ensuring critical access to healthy foods and nutrition services, especially for women and children,” he said.
The countries identified by the UN include Nigeria, Somalia, Mali, Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen.
