Making malnutrition history – EU announces €3.5 billion for nutrition
The European Union (EU) is to spend an unprecedented €3.5 billion between 2014-2020 on improving nutrition in some of the world's poorest countries, Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, is expected to pledge tomorrow.
Speaking at a donors' event on nutrition in London on June 8, the Commissioner will announce that €400 million will be spent on boosting nutrition through specific nutrition programmes in the health sector, whereas the other €3.1billion will be invested in making sure programmes in other areas such as agriculture, education, water and social protection do more to reduce undernutrition.
Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, said: "I find it incomprehensible that in an era of technological revolution, some 870 million people are still going hungry and malnutrition is responsible for over 3 million child deaths annually. We have the means to stop this tragedy. What is lacking is the political will and determination to do so. That's why I am so pleased that so many people will take part in the event tomorrow; it shows that donors are giving nutrition the importance it deserves. Our new financial pledge demonstrates that the EU is determined to make malnutrition history for once and for all."
Read the full press release: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-516_en.htm
