Eliminating Malnutrition Is Finally On the Table. Here’s How COP29 Can Help Serve Up a Healthier Future

As world leaders and negotiators meet for the UN COP29 Climate Change Conference, an array of topics is on the menu, from climate finance to renewables and carbon trading. But an increasingly urgent nutrition crisis, exacerbated by climate change, must also be among the top priorities to mobilise action after recent global momentum. 

—

By Afshan Khan and Brieuc Pont.

Between now and 2050, 40 million more children are estimated to have stunted growth and 28 million more will suffer from wasting due to climate change, according to the latest reports. Worsening climate conditions are forecast to increase the rates of wasting and underweight by 50%.

With 757 million people already undernourished in 2023 and ongoing climate extremes worldwide, COP29 presents the opportunity to deliver on commitments in the COP28 Declarations on Food and Agriculture. This is a particularly critical and opportune moment ahead of next March’s Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in Paris – the world’s best opportunity to reverse years of lost progress in tackling malnutrition in all its forms.

Malnutrition undermines economies worldwide, limiting a person’s ability to reach their full potential. Stunting affected almost a quarter of children under five in 2022, costing low- and middle-income countries at least $135.4 billion annually. Shockingly, the average child born today is expected to reach only 56% of their full adult productivity, due to poor health and education.

Capitalizing on recent renewed attention on tackling malnutrition is therefore essential, and will require urgent, coordinated efforts from governments, financial institutions, United Nations agencies, the private sector and civil society.

Firstly, climate funding for initiatives to tackle climate-induced malnutrition must be increased. The World Bank estimates that scaling up proven nutrition interventions to 90% coverage will require an additional $128 billion from 2025 to 2034. This figure may seem high, but the benefits far outweigh the costs: investing in proven nutrition interventions is estimated to generate $2.4 trillion in economic benefits, equivalent to a return of $23 for every dollar invested. Proven interventions could save 6.2 million children under five from preventable deaths and prevent 980,000 stillbirths. 

Take the effect of anaemia on women’s health and productivity as an example. One in three women between 15 and 49 years of age are affected by anaemia globally. This has serious and wide-reaching impacts on their prospects, perpetuating gender inequality and affecting the health and nutrition of their children. The annual economic cost of inaction on anaemia in women and children is $274 billion. 

Furthermore, this is likely to worsen as increased carbon dioxide in the air can reduce iron content in key food security crops such as wheat, rice, barley, and maize. Malnutrition, wherever it is found, disproportionately affects women and girls. In a majority of low- and middle-income countries, women eat last and least. 

Financing institutions and governments must work together to develop innovative funding solutions to unlock the resources needed to end malnutrition while also addressing climate change. These investments are the keys to unlocking long-term prosperity.

But increasing funding alone will not be enough to address both climate and nutrition crises. These are cross-cutting issues and must be integrated not only into health systems, but also across social protection, education, and food systems. Supporting farmers to become more resilient to the impacts of climate change will help preserve local incomes and their communities’ supply of nutritious food. Integrating nutrition into climate policies is therefore essential to ensure resilient populations. 

Finally, eliminating malnutrition also comes down to political will. For example, the “Crecer Juntos” (“Growing Together”) initiative, launched in 2019 by the El Salvador government to improve breastfeeding rates, has exceeded its 2025 target already, a year ahead of schedule. An accompanying Crecer Juntos Act for Comprehensive Protection was approved in June 2022, which will ensure child-related institutions protect children’s development, including better nutrition, illustrating how political will and leadership are key to advancing nutrition gains. 

COP29 presents the opportunity to demonstrate the importance of nutrition and health in the climate agenda and set the stage for widespread action in the New Year.

In March 2025, France will host the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit, offering a key opportunity for renewed financial and political mobilisation at both global and national levels. It will focus on bringing together development finance institutions and innovative financing mechanisms to mobilise the investments needed to tackle malnutrition in all its forms, advancing the 2030 agenda. The summit will also drive political commitments to improve nutrition outcomes and create a more supportive environment for financing, policy, and programmatic decisions.

Later in 2025, the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement will host its Global Gathering, where SUN countries can review progress, share lessons, and enhance accountability to ensure continuity of N4G commitments.

Let’s be clear: eliminating malnutrition in all its forms – in which 2.5 billion adults are overweight, 890 million live with obesity, and 390 million are underweight – will be no small feat. However, solutions and investments exist. COP29 can serve as a springboard to galvanize political will and financial commitments in 2025, with a series of unprecedented opportunities for nutrition. Key events like the G20, N4G Summit in Paris, the Financing for Development Conference, and the UN Food Systems Summit+4 will provide platforms to keep nutrition high on policy agendas and sustain coordinated, concerted action.

By investing in nutrition amidst climate change, integrating efforts across sectors, and fostering political commitment, we can change millions of lives and create a healthier, more nourished future and more sustainable planet. This is not just a call to action—it is a rare chance to end malnutrition for all.

Featured image: EC/ECHO/Martin Karimi via Flickr.