Ending Hunger in America, 2014 Hunger Report Full Report | Page 166

UN Photo/Logan Abassi

A mother and young
daughter at the
general hospital in
Port au Prince, Haiti.

156? Chapter 5

The panel also recommended that the post-2015 agenda adopt a goal to achieve food
security and good nutrition for all, emphasize the economic empowerment of women and
girls, improve governance and institutions, and integrate equality and shared prosperity into
all of the development goals so that no one is left behind.
In July 2013, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon released a report outlining his vision for
the post-2015 agenda—A life of dignity for all: accelerating progress toward
the Millennium Development Goals and
advancing the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015. The report
calls for a universal development
agenda that promotes inclusivity.
This is very important. In order to
be considered “met,” a target must
be reached by all relevant income
and social groups—thus ensuring
a measure of inclusiveness that
would be overlooked by basing
progress on averages alone.
The post-2015 development
agenda provides an opportunity
to promote equitable growth in all
countries. It is also an opportunity
to recognize linkages across key
areas: food security and good nutrition; agricultural development; women’s economic empowerment; and good governance,
effective institutions and strengthening local capacity. Goals should be formulated in ways
that capture the great potential of coordinated approaches, which have proven to be highly
effective in responding to multiple development challenges.

Nutrition
In a new set of global development goals, reducing stunting rates should be explicit and
prominent. Stunting is the leading cause of death and disability among children under 5.
Today, there are 165 million stunted children around the world. Being far too short for their
age is only the most visible sign. Their cognitive and physical development have been compromised by chronic malnutrition, and for their entire lives, they will be more likely to suffer
from health problems—all of which will make them less productive than they could be.14 In
the end, stunting is a tragedy for individuals and families that also impedes a nation’s ability
to develop economically.15
In 2012, the World Health Assembly called for reducing the number of malnourished
children by at least 40 percent by 2025.16 This will require a nearly 4 percent reduction in
stunting each year. This rate of progress has been achieved in countries that are making
significant nutrition-specific investments, as well as nutrition-sensitive investments. Nutrition-specific investments are directly related to food intake—for example, school-feeding
n

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