At least 14 million children are expected to face disruptions to nutrition support and services because of recent and expected global funding cuts.
A report issued by the United Nations agency for children (UNICEF), as world leaders gather at the Nutrition for Growth Summit in Paris, warns the children are heightened risk of severe malnutrition and death.
The funding crisis, the agency warns, comes at a time of unprecedented need for children who are facing record levels of displacement, ongoing and protracted conflicts, disease outbreaks, and the deadly impacts of climate change—all of which are undermining their access to adequate nutrition.
“Over the last decades, we have made impressive progress in reducing child malnutrition globally because of a shared commitment and sustained investment,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
“Since 2000, the number of stunted children under the age of five has fallen by 55 million, and the lives of millions of severely malnourished children have been saved. But steep funding cuts will dramatically reverse these gains and put the lives of millions more children at risk”, she states.
It further highlights additional impacts across 17 high-priority countries which include:
- More than 2.4 million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition could go without Ready-to-use-Therapeutic-Food (RUTF) for the remainder of 2025.
- Up to 2,300 life-saving stabilisation centres – providing critical care for children suffering from severe wasting with medical complications – are at risk of closing or severely scaling back services.
- Almost 28,000 UNICEF-supported outpatient therapeutic centres for the treatment of malnutrition are at risk, and in some cases have already stopped operating.
“Today, levels of severe wasting in children under five remain gravely high in some fragile contexts and humanitarian emergencies. Adolescent girls and women are especially vulnerable,” it adds.
It observes that since 2020, before the funding cuts, the number of pregnant and breastfeeding women and adolescent girls suffering from acute malnutrition soared from 5.5 million to 6.9 million ( 25 per cent ).
National governments
Additionally it expects the figures to rise without urgent action from donors as well as adequate investments from national governments.
“UNICEF is calling on governments and donors to prioritise investments in health and nutrition programmes for children and is urging national governments to allocate more funding to domestic nutrition and health services. Good nutrition is the foundation of child survival and development, with impressive returns on investment. Dividends will be measured in stronger families, societies and countries, and a more stable world,” said Russell.
Amid the crisis, the organization maintains its commited to prioritise high impact programmes, optimise resources, and accelerate cost-saving measures.
“But urgent and immediate action is needed to mitigate the impact of the global funding crisis on children, protect the most vulnerable, and safeguard their futures”, it notes.
At the same time, it is making an impassioned plea to governments, partners and philanthropic donors to contribute to the lifesaving fund and other flexible funding instruments for children and women.
