“The Child Malnutrition Crisis: Pledging to Save Lives” Announces Over $280 Million in New Commitments at UNGA

Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), UNICEF, the Government of Senegal, and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation co-hosted "The Child Malnutrition Crisis: Pledging to Save Lives," an event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The new commitments follow a call to action from Administrator Power in her address on the global food security crisis in July, where the United States committed to a $200 million investment to scale up access to treatment, including Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic Food (RUTF) - the largest commitment that has ever been made to treat severely malnourished children. The $280 million announced today includes new funding from donors around the globe, demonstrating the world's commitment to helping to meet that pledge

Major philanthropies announcing new commitments included the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Children's Investment Fund Foundation, The CRI Foundation, Eleanor Crook Foundation, Greta Thunberg Foundation, and King Philanthropies. UN Member States, including Canada, Ireland, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, also joined the call to action, as did faith-based organization Humanitarian Services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In total, actors across the spectrum announced over $280 million in new commitments at "The Child Malnutrition Crisis: Pledging to Save Lives."

The number of children suffering from severe wasting in the 15 countries worst affected by the food and nutrition crisis is now over eight million - and continues to escalate. Meanwhile, the price of RUTF, a transformational product and key component of the community-based management of acute malnutrition, is projected to increase. USAID is regularly the largest single donor in humanitarian support for wasting treatment, and these new commitments from partners help to move the needle on meeting the current immense needs. When communities and frontline health workers can identify children who need treatment early and provide them with the necessary therapeutic food, feeding, and care, many will survive.