Global Action Plan on Child Wasting

Wasting is a form of acute malnutrition characterized by a loss of body weight in relation to height, which increases a child’s risk of infection and death and decreases their ability to learn. As estimated 50 million children, or 7.3% of the total under-five population around the world suffer from wasting, a form of undernutrition that can be lethal. Children with acute malnutrition have weakened immune systems and are at higher risk of dying from common childhood diseases. Those that survive could face lifelong growth and development challenges. They risk facing a future marked by illness, poor school results, and poverty with ripple effects across generations.

In 2015, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), governments around the world committed to reducing this number to < 5% by 2025 and to < 3% by 2030. The Global Action Plan addresses the need for a multi-sectoral approach and highlights priority actions across maternal and child nutrition through the food, health, water and sanitation, and social protection systems.

The Global Action Plan, initiated by FAO, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and the WHO (2023), aims to prevent, detect and treat acute malnutrition among children in the worst-affected countries, which in Africa are Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, the Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen.