U.S. government commitment to nutrition applauded by InterAction and 1,000 Days Partnership

WASHINGTON, June 10, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NGO alliance InterAction and the 1,000 Days Partnership applaud the U.S. government's commitment to devote more funding and attention over the next three years to nutrition-specific interventions.

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"Investment in nutrition is a global priority and we are pleased the United States is a major player in helping to reduce hunger and malnutrition. Civil society, governments and the private sector can all meet this global challenge if we work together and leverage our efforts," said Samuel A. Worthington, president and CEO of InterAction.

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah announced over the weekend that the U.S. government would provide more than $1 billion for nutrition-specific interventions and nearly $9 billion on nutrition-sensitive activities over fiscal years 2012-2014.

"The U.S. has taken a major step forward in the battle against malnutrition, recognizing that the cost of inaction is much greater than the cost of taking the right action. There is powerful new evidence showing that investments in nutrition during the 1,000 days between a woman's pregnancy to her child's 2nd birthday saves lives and drives greater prosperity and stability," said Lucy Sullivan, executive director of 1,000 Days, which promotes greater action and investment in maternal and child nutrition. 

The influential medical publication, The Lancet, published a series last week on maternal and child nutrition, which revealed that malnutrition is responsible for 45 percent of all deaths of children under 5 – more than 3 million deaths each year. According to The Lancet, the cost of scaling-up a package of 10 essential nutrition interventions in key countries is $9.6 billion per year. 

NGOs are playing a vital role in tackling malnutrition and 30 members of InterAction have pledged more than $750 million in private funds for nutrition programs over the next five years. This commitment was announced at an international nutrition summit held in London last weekend ahead of the G8 meeting of world leaders in Northern Ireland on June 17-18.

"We encourage other G8 leaders to commit more resources so that we may reach our goal of reducing childhood stunting by at least 20 million by 2020. This target should be on the mind of every world leader when they meet in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, next week," said Worthington.

InterAction is the largest alliance of U.S.-based nongovernmental international organizations, with more than 180 members working in every developing country. Visit www.interaction.org.

For more information about the 1,000 Days Partnership and the importance of the 1,000-day window, visit www.thousanddays.org.

SOURCE InterAction