Key Messages

The 8th progress report therefore presents a timely opportunity for the EU to assess progress against its two global nutrition commitments.

1. In December 2021, at the N4G Summit in Tokyo, the EU pledged to commit EUR 2.5 billion for international cooperation (development and humanitarian aid) with a nutrition objective, for the period 2021-2024. The EU has already met this pledge. Total commitments with a nutrition objective in the first three years alone amounted to EUR 4.4 billion, of which EUR 3.1 billion is development aid and EUR 1.3 billion is humanitarian aid. The amount of total commitments exceeds the pledge by EUR 1.9 billion, with the predominant areas of development finance being sustainable agri-food systems and multi-sectoral programmes for food security and nutrition.
2. In 2012, the EU pledged to support partner countries to reduce the number of stunted children under the age of five by at least 7 million by 2025. According to current projections this target is now ‘on-track’ to be reached in the 40 countries identified for EU support with a nutrition objective in 2013 and serving as a baseline reference for measuring progress on this commitment. Of these 40 countries, 39 have seen, on average, a 7.2 percentage point decrease in the prevalence of stunting since 2012.

This report displays six projects from Chad, Haiti, Madagascar, Myanmar, Somalia and Zimbabwe, as well as four global / regional initiatives, to highlight the broad scope of multi-sectoral EU support.

At global level the EU promotes international collaboration to scale up actions and accelerate progress. Here the focus is on creating multi-country catalysts for change and cross-fertilisation including: addressing country-driven priorities for nutrition research; working with national governments to bridge the gap between evidence and transformative policy agendas; strengthening national systems to provide life-saving nutrition service provision in a sustainable way; and, ongoing support to the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement.

All of the above represent an important contribution to the Global Gateway, the European Union’s worldwide effort to narrow the global investment gap.  Integrating nutrition objectives in the infrastructure investments under the Global Gateway is helping to ensure that no one is left behind.

To sum up, the report delivers two key messages.

Firstly, the results on the ground confirm that EU multisectoral investments have contributed to tangible improvements in maternal and child nutrition in partner countries.

Secondly, given the daunting challenges ahead, efforts must intensify to strengthen models for partnership, innovation and accountability, not least to ensure that future resourcing strategies are fit for purpose and sustainable.