Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 13th Jan. UN agencies on Thursday called for urgent action to protect millions of malnourished children in over 15 countries hardest hit by the unprecedented food and nutrition crisis in a press release issued in New York.
Over 30 million under-fives are suffering from wasting, or acute malnutrition, brought on by conflict, climate shocks, ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rising costs of living, the agencies stated.
It said that children with the condition have weakened immune systems and are at higher risk of dying from common childhood diseases.
Some 8 million are facing the deadliest form of under nutrition and they are 12 times more likely to die than children who get enough to eat.
The appeal was issued by the FAO; UNHCR; UNICEF, WFP and the WHO.
They urged the international community to accelerate progress on the Global Action Plan on Child Wasting to prevent the growing crisis from becoming a tragedy.
FAO Director-General, Qu Dongyu warned that the situation is likely to deteriorate this year.
He said “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.”
The Global Action Plan aims to prevent, detect and treat acute malnutrition among children in countries worst affected by the cascading crisis are Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen.
It addressed the need for a multi-sectoral approach and highlights priority actions through maternal and child nutrition policy shifts, aimed at the food, health, water and sanitation, and social protection systems.
UN agencies have outlined five specific actions that will be effective in addressing acute malnutrition in countries affected by conflict and natural disasters, and in humanitarian emergencies, it added.
It include enhancing analysis of the determinants of child wasting; ensuring essential maternal and child nutrition interventions for early prevention, such as regular screening, and introducing specialized nutritious food products as part of emergency food assistance.
Filippo Grandi, head of the UNHCR said “At UNHCR we are working hard to improve analysis and targeting to ensure that we reach children who are most at risk, including internally displaced and refugee populations,”
The partners stressed that scaling up these actions as a coordinated package will be critical both for prevention and treatment, and for saving lives.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “The global food crisis is also a health crisis, and a vicious cycle: malnutrition leads to disease, and disease leads to malnutrition,”.
Tedros added “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.”
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