U.S. Government Leaders Highlight Commitment to Reducing Poverty and Undernutrition

During a high-level meeting on Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) on Thursday, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah announced that USAID will continue to work to ensure that the principles and programmatic priorities of SUN are fully integrated across all relevant USAID-supported programs in food security, health, water and sanitation, education, and humanitarian assistance in 14 countries.

“We are committed to reducing undernutrition so that children all over the world have better opportunities to grow, learn and live healthy, productive lives,” Shah said, noting that this will help accelerate SUN and support country-driven approaches to improved food security and nutrition.

For the areas where Feed the Future and the Global Health Initiative operate, Shah emphasized that these efforts, in combination with those of host countries and other donors, aim to decrease child stunting by 20 percent over five years.

The 14 countries—where SUN, Feed the Future, and the Global Health Initiative overlap—are Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

The announcement took place at an event during the U.N. General Assembly, where Administrator Shah and other U.S. Government and world leaders underscored a commitment to advancing global food security and reducing poverty and undernutrition.

On Wednesday, during an event celebrating the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, Administrator Shah said that tackling the persistent problem of hunger and undernutrition requires partnerships and approaches that can deliver results at scale, transform economies, and lift tens of millions out of poverty.

“At USAID and through Feed the Future, which is part of the U.S. Government’s contribution to the New Alliance, we’re committed to working closely with NGOs, women’s cooperatives, and communities to increase farming incomes and improve nutrition,” he said.

This commitment to reducing poverty and undernutrition was echoed during an event on Thursday, “Feed the Future: Partnering with Civil Society,” hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Malawian President Joyce Banda. At the event, Secretary Clinton announced a pledge by civil society partners of over one billion dollars over the next three years to advance food security and nutrition worldwide.