Towards 2030: Advancing Nutrition on the Global Agenda

25 March 2025 | NEW YORK – Today, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly made a major decision concerning nutrition: an extension of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025) (“Nutrition Decade”) until 2030. This decision, made through the adoption of the General Assembly resolution on the “Implementation of the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016–2025)”, aligns the Nutrition Decade with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, ensuring continued efforts and a renewed commitment to end all forms of malnutrition and contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals.

“A world free from hunger and malnutrition is within our reach, if we choose it,” said the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador Sergio Danese, introducing the resolution at the General Assembly on behalf of Brazil and France. Approximately one hundred and forty UN Member States co-sponsored the resolution.

A Decade of Commitment to Nutrition

Established in 2016, the Nutrition Decade at that time was a landmark pledge aimed at making the fight against malnutrition a priority for all stakeholders, including governments and their partners.

Led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the vision of the Nutrition Decade was a world where all countries, organizations, and others working on nutrition coordinate action and strengthen collaboration for sustained and coherent implementation of policies, programmes and increased investments to eliminate malnutrition in all its forms, everywhere, leaving no one behind.

“The UN Decade of Action on Nutrition plays a critical role in ensuring that nutrition is on the UN and global agendas and helps mobilize national efforts. We remain committed to supporting governments in their efforts to ensure food security, improved nutrition and promote healthy diets for everyone,” said Ms. Angélica Jácome, Director of the FAO Liaison Office with the UN in New York, and Mr. Werner Obermeyer, Director of the WHO Office at the UN.

Over the past ten years, significant progress has been made. Many countries have strengthened their nutrition policies, improved several nutrition indicators such as reducing stunting in children, and promoted efficient, inclusive, sustainable and resilient food systems for healthy diets through action networks and commitments. However, numerous nutrition challenges still persist, highlighting the need for continued and stronger action.

Why an extension?

Originally set to conclude in 2025, the extension of the Nutrition Decade to 2030 underscores the need to sustain political momentum and close existing gaps in the achievement of nutrition goals. The General Assembly’s decision reaffirms the global commitment to ensuring universal access to affordable, safe, and healthy diets. In line with an extension of the global nutrition targets to 2030, the extension of the Nutrition Decade ensures that nutrition is kept high on political agendas, including those of the General Assembly.

The resolution calls upon FAO and WHO, in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), to continue leading the Nutrition Decade. These organizations are expected to strengthen their efforts through platforms like UN-Nutrition and the Committee on World Food Security.

A renewed call to action

The extension of the Nutrition Decade sends a strong signal that, though the fight against malnutrition in all its forms is far from over, the promise of good nutrition for driving sustainable development can still be realized. Governments, international organizations, and stakeholders must accelerate their efforts in the global push to end malnutrition by 2030.