This week at the United Nations General Assembly, the world will adopt new sustainable development goals and, for the first time ever, agree on a target to end malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. Over 50 organizations, including Action Against Hunger, have signed the International Coalition for Advocacy on Nutrition's Call to Action on Malnutrition, a document that urges global leaders to make new investments in nutrition at the 2016 Nutrition for Growth Summit in order to end malnutrition. Below is our Call to Action, and we urge our supporters to join us by signing the petition at the link below.

As the world embarks on the new era of sustainable development to end poverty in all its dimensions, your leadership is urgently needed to prioritize investments in nutrition. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that our governments have adopted requires a much stronger focus on ensuring that all people – but especially women and children – have the nutrition they need to thrive.

We call on you to use the Nutrition for Growth summit on the occasion of the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics to increase investments directed toward ending malnutrition in all its forms and achieving the internationally agreed-upon World Health Assembly targets to improve maternal, infant and young child nutrition.

Every country in the world is affected by one or more forms of malnutrition as manifested in high rates of undernutrition, obesity or micronutrient deficiencies. It is however young children who are most harmed by malnutrition. Nearly half of deaths of children under age five are due to malnutrition, and over one quarter of those are due to suboptimal breastfeeding. Meanwhile, an estimated 161 million children under age five are developmentally stunted as a result of chronic undernourishment with another 51 million suffering the ravages of acute malnutrition. And increasingly, obesity is robbing children of their future health and well-being—in the next decade, it is estimated that over 70 million infants and young children will be affected by overweight and obesity, the vast majority of them living in Low – and Middle – Income Countries. All of these malnourished children represent a staggering loss of human and economic potential.

By contrast, greater investment in nutrition can save lives, unlock enormous gains in health and human capital, and boost a country’s GDP by as much as 12%. The returns on investments in nutrition are among some of the highest in global development according to several of the world’s leading economists who have consistently argued that policymakers should prioritize spending on improving infant and young child nutrition.

Yet despite the strong evidence of the importance and cost-effectiveness of investing in nutrition, current spending in this area is minimal. Countries are spending less than 1% of their budgets on nutrition and funding for efforts that directly impact nutrition outcomes likewise accounts for less than 1% of official development assistance.

This is why we need your leadership to mobilize additional financing for nutrition and ensure strong accountability for improvements in the nutritional well-being of all people. The 2016 Nutrition for Growth summit provides a historic opportunity to shift the world onto a path that promotes greater health and prosperity for all by eliminating malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. This must be our legacy. We stand ready to support you, so that together we can create a healthier and brighter future for the next generation of children.