1 in 3 of global population malnourished

LONDON (PNA/Xinhua) – One in three members of the global population is malnourished, and the problem exists in every country on the planet, according to the Global Nutrition Report to be released on Sept. 22 in New York City.

“When one in three of us is held back due to malnutrition, we as families, communities, and nations cannot move forward,” Lawrence Haddad, lead author of the report and senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) said Tuesday at a press briefing here.

“Too often people think of malnutrition as just a problem of hungry kids in the poorest countries, but this report shows that malnutrition has many forms and affects all countries, rich and poor alike,” said Dr. Corinna Hawkes, coauthor of the report. “The coexistence of nutritional problems associated with extreme deprivation and obesity is the real face of malnutrition.”

Even if the global present situation may be worrying, China has made a great progress in overcoming malnutrition, Haddad told Xinhua.

According to research findings, the strategies available to resolve malnutrition are not being implemented due to lack of money, skills, or political pressure.

The timing of the report is particularly important as United Nations member states convene to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals later this month. Malnutrition is tied to many of the proposed goals-and when 45 percent of all deaths of children under five are related to malnutrition, it’s critical that leaders keep nutrition policy at the forefront of their decision-making.

IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries, established in 1975, headquartered in Washington.