Improving child nutrition: The achievable imperative for global progress

A new UNICEF report offering evidence that real progress is being made in the fight against stunted growth – the hidden face of poverty for 165 million children under the age of five. Stunting affects 165 million children under 5 years of age around the world, and it can trap those children in a vicious cycle of poverty and undernutrition. Yet, key interventions when delivered during a critical 1,000-day window – during the mother’s pregnancy and before a child turns 2 ‒ can lead to a reduced prevalence of stunting. This report showcases new developments in nutrition programmes and analyses progress towards reducing undernutrition. It also includes case studies from 11 countries where nutrition has been improved at scale: Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Nepal, Peru, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan, the United Republic of Tanzania and Viet Nam. Existing solutions and the work of new partnerships, including the Scaling Up Nutrition movement, create an unprecedented opportunity to address child undernutrition through countries accelerating progress by means of coordinated projects with donor support and measurable targets.