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…

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…

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…

Over 140 million children miss lifesaving vitamin A supplements

Read about the situation of children around the world.