Nutrition

Learn more about nutrition

UNICEF works day in and day out, in some of the world’s toughest places, to protect children’s rights and safeguard their futures. On the ground in over 190 countries and territories, we reach more children and young people than any other international organization. Explore our nutrition programmes and initiatives., Global partnerships and initiatives, UNICEF collaborates with nutrition partners at global, regional and country levels to scale up nutrition policies, strategies and programmes that accelerate progress towards achieving the  Sustainable Development Goals Sustainable Development Goals , including Goal 2: to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition. As part of its convening role,…, Learn more

What is the Child Nutrition Fund?, The Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) is a new financing mechanism designed to accelerate the scale-up of sustainable policies, programmes and supplies to end child wasting.  , Why do we need a Child Nutrition Fund?, Because child wasting is a tragedy. In 2020, an estimated 45 million children globally were estimated to be suffering from wasting in early life. About one-third of them require therapeutic feeding and care. Despite two decades of progress in reducing child malnutrition globally, the number of children with wasting is rising due to a perfect storm…, Who is the Child Nutrition Fund for?, The CNF is designed to support government-led efforts in some of the countries that carry among the highest numbers and/or proportion of children under 5 years of age with wasting. As such, the CNF will support government-led efforts in countries that have developed operational roadmaps as part of the United Nations Secretary-General’s  Global…, What actions will the Child Nutrition Fund scale up?, The CNF is designed to support the scale-up of five essential government-led actions for the early prevention, detection and treatment of child wasting in early childhood, as described in the GAP, recognizing that implementing partners may need to support the direct delivery of these interventions during humanitarian crises. These five actions,…, How will the Child Nutrition Fund add value?, The CNF aims to improve the coordination and transparency of financing for wasting by offering UNICEF and its partners a range of tools designed to achieve three specific goals: Goal 1: Incentivize, increase and prioritize the allocation of global resources to essential programmes and supplies for the early prevention, detection and treatment of…, How will the Child Nutrition Fund reach these goals?, The CNF aims to reach these three goals through working in partnership with governments and investors on coordination and advocacy and using three ‘windows’ that aim to incentivize, increase and prioritize the allocation of global and domestic resources to essential programmes and supplies for the early prevention, detection and treatment of child…

The challenge, In June 2022, UNICEF warned that almost 8 million children under 5 across 15 crisis-hit countries were at risk of death from severe wasting unless they received immediate therapeutic food and care. Severe wasting is the most lethal form of undernutrition, and one of the top threats to child survival. With soaring food prices driven by the war in…, The solution, The world responded. With $766 million in new funding, UNICEF delivered the largest nutrition response on record.  Globally, UNICEF and partners reached 7.3 million children with life-saving treatment in 2022, a 35 per cent increase from 2021 and the highest number of children treated for severe wasting since large-scale treatment began in 2007.…, Historic response, much more to do, Despite the historic response in 2022, most of the essential services to protect mothers and children from the threat of acute malnutrition remain under-funded. The overlapping global food, nutrition and climate crises along with economic pressures persist. In addition to the funding needed to continue programmes for the early detection and…, What UNICEF is calling for, Niger. A mother feeds her baby a nutritious supplement at an intensive nutritional recovery centre in Niger. A mother feeds her baby a nutritious supplement at an intensive nutritional recovery centre in Niger. Donors to deliver on their pledges and mobilize the $400 million necessary to extend much-needed prevention services to the worst-affected…

Two in three children between the ages of 6 months and two years are not getting the nutrients and food they need for healthy growth and development. Sadly, there has been no progress in improving children’s diets in the last decade. The poor quality of young children’s diets is the major driver of all forms of malnutrition – stunting, wasting,…, What are food systems?, Food systems are the public policy decisions; the national and global systems and supply chains; and the individuals and groups – public and private – that influence what we eat. They are important for two key reasons: What we eat – our diets – is one of the biggest drivers of health and well-being. This is especially the case for children. Good…, Why do food systems need reform?, A staggering two in three children between the ages of 6 months and two years  are not getting the diverse diets they need to grow up well, putting them at risk of malnutrition. Food systems are one of the major drivers of this. Too often driven by profit over purpose, decisions about what food is produced and how that food is processed, packaged…, Making change happen, Action on food systems can transform this situation – progress is possible. For example, over the past two decades, the number of undernourished children has fallen by one-third. We know we can continue this progress through collective action to: Improve the quality of what children eat. This includes mandatory quality standards for children’s…, The Food Systems Summit 2021, This is a critical moment to listen to the voices of children and young people. Not only does their future depend on a radical overhaul of our food systems, but they also have some of the best and brightest ideas about how these systems can better serve people and our planet. The UN Food Systems Summit , held during the UN General Assembly in New…

Every year, millions of children die from causes that are preventable and treatable.  Rates of immunization have been backsliding to their lowest levels in three decades. The story of the children who are not being vaccinated is one of inequity, poverty and underserved communities.  Meanwhile, conflict, economic strife and a changing climate…, What needs to happen, UNICEF is calling on governments and partners to act. Make sure that all children have access to routine immunizations. In 2024, Humanly Possible: Immunization for all vaccines need urgent funding . To ensure that all children have the protection they need to thrive, especially against polio, malaria and human papillomavirus (HPV), large scale…, How UNICEF is responding, A nurse crosses a hand-made bridge carrying a vaccine cooler to reach the remote village of Mansunthu to conduct a mobile vaccination clinic. UNICEF’s mission is to reach every single child with life-saving vaccines.   We’re on the frontlines, bringing doses to the communities that need them the most, including in some of the hardest to reach…, Campaigns and stories, Information for policymakers and partners, A four-year-old child receives an oral dose of the polio vaccine in India. Millions of children continue to miss out on their most basic vaccines. At the same time, severe acute malnutrition is on the rise. Service disruptions, economic chaos, conflict and overburdened health systems have threatened a devastating rise in preventable child deaths…, Information and advice for parents, Vaccines are amongst the greatest advances of modern medicine. They help to keep our families and our communities safe.   Good nutrition is the bedrock of child survival and development. If you’re looking for information on routine childhood vaccinations and good nutrition, this is where to start.

Bringing together some of the world’s leading baby experts to help parents give their children the best start in life

At 1 year old, your child is learning to eat on her own. She can chew her food as well as you can, so she can eat the same foods as the rest of the family., In brief: Feeding your child at 1–2 years, plate and food icon At 1 year, solid foods – including healthy snacks – are now your child’s main source of energy and nutrition. Jar icon He can take between three quarters to one cup of food three to four times a day, plus one to two snacks between meals. Breastfeeding icon Continue breastfeeding as much as your child wants, until he is at least…, More parenting tips and baby facts

Young children need enough nutritious food every day to grow healthy, strong and smart. At around 6 months old, your baby is growing quickly and needs more energy and nutrients than at any other time in her life., In brief: Feeding your baby at 6–12 months, plate and food icon After 6 months, breastmilk is still your baby’s main source of energy and nutrients, but solid foods should now be added. Jar icon Your baby has a small stomach and needs small amounts of soft nutritious food frequently throughout the day.  fruits icon In addition to grains and tubers, feed your baby a variety of foods –…, More parenting tips and baby facts

As your baby grows, her nutritional needs grow with her. During the first two years, up to 75 per cent of each meal goes to building your baby’s brain. Here’s when to introduce your baby to solid foods and why getting the timing right is so important., In brief: Feeding your baby solid foods, Breastfeeding icon Before 6 months, breastmilk alone meets all your baby’s energy and nutrition needs. plat with food icon Start to introduce soft foods at 6 months when your baby needs more energy and nutrients than your milk alone can provide.  Pot and Spoon icon At 6 months, start giving your baby just two to three spoonfuls of soft food, such…, More parenting tips and baby facts

Bringing together some of the world’s leading baby experts to help parents give their children the best start in life

1. Myth? Breastfeeding is easy. Babies are born with the reflex to look for their mother’s breast. However, many mothers need practical support with positioning their baby for breastfeeding and making sure their baby is correctly attached to the breast. Breastfeeding takes time and practice for both mothers and babies. Breastfeeding is also time…