MEDIA ADVISORY

High-level Round Table on Addressing Malnutrition, Catalysing Africa’s Transformation through Enhanced Multi-sectoral Investments

INVITATION TO THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MEDIA

What: High-level Round Table: “Addressing Malnutrition, Catalysing Africa’s Transformation through Enhanced Multi-sectoral Investments”

When: Friday, February 16, 2024, from 6.00 pm to 8.00 pm

Where: Hyatt Regency Hotel in Addis Ababa, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Who: Hosted by the Kingdom of Lesotho in collaboration with the African Union (AU) Commission, the African Development Bank’s African Leaders for Nutrition (ALN), Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations and Nutrition International.

Background:

Malnutrition continues to impact Africa significantly: 41% of children under five have various forms of malnutrition, 61 million children are stunted, and 12 million children are wasted. The economic burden of malnutrition is enormous and reduces countries’ productivity and potential. The outcome of this discussion will inform the strategies and activities that the African Union Commission and partners will champion to accelerate the reduction of malnutrition in 2025 in Africa.

The African Union and African Leaders for Nutrition Champion, His Majesty King Letsie III of the Kingdom of Lesotho, in collaboration with the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank, the African Leaders for Nutrition initiative, and development partners will host a high-level side event on the margins of the African Union Summit on 16 February 2024 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Addis Ababa from 18:00-20:00. The event will also set forth a pathway for African Union Member States to re-commit and align their national strategic objectives to the continental and global nutrition agendas.

Under the theme, “Addressing Malnutrition, Catalysing Africa’s Transformation through Enhanced Multi-sectoral Investments,” the session will review the progress made by nutrition leaders towards achieving nutrition targets for the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme-CAADP, the Malabo Declaration, the World Health Assembly, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through sustained and increased investment in nutrition. The discussion will feature Heads of State and Government, including members of the African Leaders for Nutrition and the Presidential Dialogue Group, who will highlight their country-specific programs and investments to address malnutrition. The leaders will share progress and lessons from their multi-sectoral approaches to tackling malnutrition.

The event will bring together AU Heads of State and Government, Ministers of Health, Parliamentarians, AU Organs, Regional Economic Communities, the Development Community, and members of the media.

Objectives of the meeting are to:

1. Present policy and program solutions for scaling up nutrition through multisectoral investments.
2. Enhance multisectoral collaboration among African Union Member States to collectively address the intricate challenges and its impact on Africa’s development.
3. Provide a platform for the Presidential Dialogue Group and African Leaders for Nutrition to highlight their efforts in accelerating stunting reduction and promoting nutrition-sensitive interventions.
4. Align with the 2024 AU Theme of the Year on Education: Emphasize the interconnectedness of nutrition and education in the context of the 2024 AU Theme of the Year on Education.

Expected outcomes of the meeting:

1. Increased Awareness of Ongoing Initiatives: A better understanding of the ongoing initiatives aimed at reducing stunting, wasting, and other forms of malnutrition.
2. Improved Collective Action: Heightened cooperation among African Union Member States as they tackle the complex issues of malnutrition and its impact on development.
3. Formulation of Holistic Approaches: Development of context-specific and inclusive solutions that increase focus on nutrition during policy and national budget discussions and decisions at the national and regional levels and on opportunities to scale up existing ones.
4. Introduction of Nigeria and Rwanda to the Presidential Dialogue Group and African Leaders for Nutrition and renew the commitment of all Group countries to take collective action to stop childhood stunting and malnutrition in all its forms.

Participation at the event:

Attendance of the press is by invitation only. Members of the press can submit their request to attend or interview the delegates to the following: 

Prof. Julio Rakotonirina | Director of Health and Humanitarian Affairs Directorate, Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, African Union Commission| E-mail: JulioR@africa-union.org; cc: Abbasl@africa-union.org; WaruiP@africa-union.org

For further media inquiries, please contact:

1. Ms. Whitney Mwangi | Health Policy Communications and Advocacy Specialist, Directorate of Health and Humanitarian Affairs | Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, African Union Commission | E-mail: WhitneyM@africa-union.org
2. Mr. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer | Information and Communications Directorate | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org

Information and Communication Directorate, African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org
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