NEW YORK, Sep 26 — As climate change worsens global health challenges, leaders and experts convened at the annual Goalkeepers event hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to address one of the biggest threats to child health: malnutrition.
Bill Gates highlighted the alarming reality that more than 400 million children globally are not receiving the essential nutrients they need to grow and thrive.
“Millions of children are dying today because of malnutrition, and the world needs to work together to solve this challenge,” Gates said, emphasizing that malnutrition is the underlying cause in half of all child deaths.
During the event, held alongside the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Gates revealed findings from the 2024 Goalkeepers Report titled The Race to Nourish a Warming World. The report shows that without urgent global action, climate change will push an additional 40 million children into stunting and 28 million more into wasting by 2050.
While the challenges are significant, Gates remained optimistic, citing innovative solutions to address malnutrition and climate change. “We have new tools and promising research to ensure kids get healthier even as the world gets hotter,” he said.
Innovative Solutions to Combat Malnutrition
Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation, told a news conference in New York after the event that the foundation’s long-term strategy to sustain interventions on malnutrition is anchored in supporting innovative solutions.
“Our long-term strategy to combat malnutrition hinges on innovative solutions, such as new agricultural technologies and fortified staples, which have the potential to save millions of lives and significantly reduce child stunting by 2050.” Suzman told reporters.
Suzman noted that new agricultural technologies are among the most promising developments, with the potential to produce two to three times more milk, which is both safer and more nutritious. This innovation alone could prevent millions of cases of child stunting by 2050.
Modelling data from the report shows that in countries like India, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania, these new technologies could prevent 109 million cases of child stunting by 2050.
Eforts to scale up the fortification of pantry staples—such as salt and bouillon cubes—are proving effective in reducing anaemia and preventing neural tube defects. In Ethiopia, fortifying salt with iodine and folic acid could lead to a 4% reduction in anaemia and eliminate up to 75% of deaths and stillbirths caused by neural tube defects. In Nigeria, fortifying bouillon cubes with iron, folic acid, zinc, and vitamin B12 could avert up to 16.6 million cases of anaemia and prevent up to 11,000 deaths.
Another vital intervention is providing high-quality prenatal vitamins for pregnant women. By 2040, scaling up the use of multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS), which cost as little as $2.60 per pregnancy, could save nearly half a million lives and improve birth outcomes for 25 million babies in low- and middle-income countries.
Gut Health and Malnutrition
The report also highlights promising research into the human microbiome, which could lead to breakthroughs in treating malnutrition. Studies suggest that improving gut health can help children absorb nutrients more effectively, develop strong immune systems, and achieve healthy growth. Gates underscored that a deeper understanding of the microbiome has the potential to revolutionize how malnutrition and overnutrition are treated worldwide, including in wealthier countries where overnutrition has become a growing concern.
Economic Impact of Malnutrition
Beyond the human toll, malnutrition has far-reaching economic consequences. “Countries cannot grow if their people cannot,” Gates emphasized. According to the report, the global economic cost of undernutrition is estimated at $3 trillion annually, with low-income countries losing as much as 16% of their GDP due to the stunting of physical and cognitive development. Gates warned that without action, the long-term economic costs would be devastating.
“One in every five of the world’s children suffers from stunting, and climate change threatens to increase that number,” Gates said. He called on global leaders to invest in nutrition as part of broader efforts to combat climate change, noting that health and climate challenges are intertwined, particularly in the poorest countries near the equator.
Celebrating Global Goalkeepers
The 2024 Global Goalkeeper Award was presented to Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for his leadership in reducing poverty and malnutrition through the Bolsa Familia program. The initiative helped lift millions out of poverty and reduced Brazil’s stunting rate from 37% to 7% over three decades. President Lula continues to champion global efforts to combat hunger and poverty through Brazil’s G20 presidency.
In addition to President Lula, ten Goalkeepers Champions were honoured for their groundbreaking work addressing malnutrition:
- Dr. Jemimah Njuki of Kenya, UN Women’s chief of economic empowerment, for her efforts in empowering women to improve food security and nutrition for children and families.
- Dr. Tahmeed Ahmed of Bangladesh, executive director of icddr,b, for his work on treating childhood malnutrition.
- Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi of Nigeria, director of nutrition at the Ministry of Health, for training health workers in maternal and child nutrition.
- Beza Beshah Haile of Ethiopia, founder of HOPE Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, for advocating food fortification to prevent birth defects.
- Dr. Zahra Hoodbhoy of Pakistan, assistant professor at Aga Khan University, for her research into micronutrient supplements for pregnant women.
- Dr. Nancy Krebs of the U.S., a pediatric nutrition expert, whose research influences global health policies.
- Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana of Rwanda, minister of health, for launching nutrition programs for maternal and child health.
- Lilian dos Santos Rahal of Brazil, national secretary for food and nutrition security, for addressing hunger and malnutrition.
- Bhavani Shankar of the UK, a researcher at the University of Sheffield, for improving rural food markets in India.
- Ratan Tata of India, chairman of Tata Trusts, for pioneering efforts in food and nutrition security.
Source: capitalfm
