The Governments of Canada and Bangladesh, in partnership with the Government of Japan and with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, hosted the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Year of Action kickoff event on December 14, 2020.
The event showcased new policy and financing commitments to nutrition from a range of stakeholders and formally launched a Nutrition For Growth Year of Action, that included milestone events leading up to the Summit in Tokyo in late December 2021.
Appearances from global nutrition champions included:
- Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF;
- Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation;
- Agnes Kalibata, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Food System’s Summit;
- Gerda Verburg, United Nations Assistant Secretary General and Coordinator of the SUN Movement;
- Andrew Morley, CEO World Vision International;
- Mamta Murthi, VP for Human Development at The World Bank
- and many more.
A United Nations Call to Action (2020) predicted that without timely action, the COVID-19 pandemic would result in dramatic increases in wasting. We know that women and girls will suffer some of the worst consequences of economic disruptions and reduced nutrition services. Recommitting to nutrition as a central component of COVID response and recovery, and as a long-term development priority, is the only sure way to deliver on the World Health Assembly Nutrition Targets and the Sustainable Development Goals. The time to act is now!
We look forward to your participation so that we can recommit, together, to delivering on our collective ambitions for a world without malnutrition!
Kindest regards,
Karina Gould, Minister of International Development, Canada
Zahid Maleque, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Bangladesh
Please RSVP by Sunday, December 13. Check back here for updates on the event program.