International Food Policy Research Institute
sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty
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The international community is looking again at the importance of nutrition, and its potential role in national development. Development partners and, most importantly, country leaders, need to give nutrition more prominence in their development efforts. This conviction is rooted in two recent developments. First, this year's U.N. World Summit highlighted the unsatisfactory state of progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Second, the World Bank's new nutrition report highlights that under-investment in nutrition is one of the main reasons the world is not making stronger progress towards the MDGs.
The two-way relationship between poverty and nutrition has not been sufficiently acknowledged and acted upon. While rhetoric abounds about the case for nutrition, it has yet to be matched by effective action, except in a handful of countries. Bridging this gap between rhetoric and action at the scale required to make a difference is key. But, no agency can do it alone; we must take steps to forge new dialogue and partnerships, both with developing countries and with other partners in the international community.
This year's Martin Forman lecture will examine what has sparked this interest and what can be done to respond to the nutrition challenge. The lecture will advance the view, based on evidence, that scaling-up nutrition activities is not only urgently needed, but is completely possible, and essential in the interests of the larger development agenda. 2005 has been dubbed the "year of development." The moment is opportune for the development community to seize this opportunity to make the case for nutrition together, to have it heard, and to put it into action.
Jean-Louis Sarbib has championed a markedly increased World Bank role in nutrition. Before becoming Senior Vice President for Human Development in 2003, he served as the Bank's Vice President for Operations for Sub-Saharan Africa and, later, for the Middle East and North Africa.
The Annual Lecture commemorates the significant impact on international nutrition by Martin J. Forman, who headed the Office of Nutrition at USAID for more than 20 years. The annual lecture is invited to present his or her personal, often unconventional, views about large issues dealing with malnutrition.