UNITED NATIONS - A UN General Assembly resolution adopted on Thursday called for better nutrition, particularly for women and children.
The resolution, “Global Health and Foreign Policy: a Healthier World Through Better Nutrition,” urges member states to put into practice a comprehensive implementation plan on maternal, infant and young child nutrition.
It encourages member states to protect and promote adequate nutrition for women, girls and infants, especially during pregnancy and lactation, when the nutritional requirements are increased, with special attention to the first 1,000 days, from the start of pregnancy to the age of two years. It asks to promote and support adequate care and feeding practices, including exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months and continued breastfeeding until the age of 2 years and beyond, with appropriate complementary feeding.
It calls on member states to consider ratifying and implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognizes the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
The resolution recalls that undernutrition hinders individuals, particularly women, children and older persons, from reaching their full potential, and urges member states to take urgent action to address the unacceptably high levels of child stunting and the growing rates of undernourishment and overweight and obesity, which have a deleterious impact on social and economic development.
More broadly, the resolution calls on member states to reinforce actions toward the improvement of nutrition, health conditions and living standards of populations around the globe as a key element of strategies for the eradication of all forms of malnutrition and poverty, as well as the promotion of sustainable development. (Xinhua)