Virtual Event - The New Nutrition Reality: Time to Recognize and Tackle the Double Burden of Malnutrition!

The world is facing a new nutrition reality in which persistent undernutrition and escalating overweight and obesity coexist within countries, communities, households, and individuals. This double burden of malnutrition brings a set of new challenges for policy and programming.

This seminar will present new global evidence on the magnitude of the double burden of malnutrition, describe the interconnected biological, societal, and ecological drivers of it, and propose a way forward on designing and estimating the cost-effectiveness of double-duty actions to tackle multiple forms of malnutrition simultaneously. The COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies the urgency of re-thinking nutrition policy and programming to tackle the new nutrition reality.

Introduction

• Francesco Branca, Director, Department of Nutrition for Health and Development (NHD), World Health Organization (WHO)

Speakers

• Barry Popkin, W. R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Nutrition, Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina (Presentation)
• Jonathan Wells, Professor of Anthropology and Paediatric Nutrition, UCL Institute of Child Health (Presentation)
• Corinna Hawkes, Director, Centre for Food Policy, City, University of London (Presentation)
• Rachel Nugent, Vice President and Director, Center for Global Non-communicable Diseases, RTI International and Associate Affiliate Professor of Global Health, University of Washington (Presentation)

*Listed in speaking order

Discussants

• Victor Aguayo, Associate Director & Global Chief of Nutrition, Programme Division, UNICEF
• Simon Barquera, Director, Nutrition Policy Research, National Institute of Public Health, Mexico
• Abigail Perry, Head of Nutrition Policy and Senior Nutrition Adviser at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) of the UK Government

Closing Remarks

• Meera Shekar, Global Lead, Nutrition, Health, & Population, World Bank Group

Moderator

• Marie Ruel, Director, Poverty, Health, and Nutrition Division, IFPRI

A blog will be available in the days following the event.