Why a Food-Secure Future Means Focusing on Smallholder Farmers
Today, World Children’s Day, is a fitting day for the UK government to host the Global Food Security Summit, an event focused on achieving Zero Hunger and ending malnutrition. Ending hunger by 2030 is the second of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), targets that were internationally agreed in 2015 as a universal call to end poverty, […]
Capturing Natural Goodness In Hazelnuts From Soil To Snack
As you walk around the villages tucked away in Turkey’s Eastern Black Sea hills, every sight and sound is permeated by hazelnuts, or Findik. They carpet the towering hillsides, they’re in conversations in supermarkets and gas stations, and on display behind glass cabinets in hotels and restaurants. You can understand why this is the world’s […]
Improving Health Financing and Health Outcomes
According to the report published by the World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO), almost half of the world’s vulnerable population including women, children, and adolescents did not have access to essential and quality health services at the point of 2021. THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2023 estimates that 287,000 women died from pregnancy-related causes in 2020 and […]
Business’s Role in Advancing Women, Children, and Adolescents’ Wellbeing
Delivering a Healthier Future: Business’s Strategic Role in Advancing Women, Children, and Adolescents’ Wellbeing A clear link exists between economic prosperity and the health of women, children, and adolescents. For business, engaging in global health is not only a moral obligation but also aligns with strategic economic decisions that promote gender equality, enhance economic growth, and […]
Changing Attitudes and Empowering Young Girls in Senegal
“I can see now that I have prospects. I want to become someone and help lift my family out of poverty. Only then I will think about marriage.” Mariama, Senegal. This is the personal impact that the Invest in Maternal and Child Health – ISMEA pilot project had on Mariama, a 13-year-old girl living in Goudiry, Senegal. […]
Acting Together for More Nutritious Food
How do we scale up the fortification of staples with vital nutrients and avoid micronutrient deficiencies during these challenging times where many people don’t have access to a balanced diet? Over the past decades, a solid regulatory framework has been created in many countries for the fortification of staples like salt, flour, sugar, oil or […]
10 Businesses Making the SDGs their Business
Some of the best ideas and boldest actions are coming from entrepreneurs and start-ups embedded in low-income communities. These disruptors are driving innovations that are tackling environmental challenges, improving people’s health and building inclusive economies. Investing and learning from them is one of the best ways to accelerate sustainable development. This is the purpose of […]
Catalysing Investment in the Health of Women, Children, and Adolescents
Global progress to reduce preventable deaths of pregnant women, mothers and babies has flatlined for the last eight years, according to the WHO. It is high time to recognise that investing in the health of women, children and adolescents is not only a moral imperative and a human rights requirement; it’s an essential investment in […]
Improving Human Wellbeing in the Coffee Supply Chain
Improving Human Wellbeing in the Coffee Supply chain: The Need for Better Data and Benchmarks Ahh a freshly-brewed cup of coffee…if just the smell of it brings you comfort at the promise of a caffeine-hit each morning, you’re not alone. Globally, we consume over two billion cups of coffee every day. And yet, how often […]
Addressing Global Hunger: Insights from Ceres2030 Project
The world is not on track to eliminate hunger by 2030. Despite the gains made between 2005 and 2015, we are now witnessing an alarming increase in hunger and undernourishment. According to the latest estimates, 828 million people are facing hunger everyday – 150 million more than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Reversing this trend will […]
Weathering COVID-19: Small and Micro Businesses in Pakistan
The COVID-19 pandemic unleashed a wave of disruption, leaving no corner untouched. While the world focused on the health crisis, a quieter battle unfolded on the streets of Pakistan. Small and micro enterprises, the lifeblood of the nation’s economy, faced an unprecedented challenge. As we delve into the depths of their struggles, it becomes evident […]
Five Reasons Why We Need Fair Food Systems for Future Food Security.
Who doesn’t like to start their day with a banana smoothie, avocado on toast or a steaming cup of strong coffee? Or relax after work with a glass of wine and a handful of nuts? For millions of consumers around the world, life without some of our favourite foods and drinks would be very dull […]
Eco-Green Teens Project: Empowering Nigerian Youth for Sustainable Agriculture
The Covid-19 pandemic had a socio-economic impact on the Nigerian economy, which led to increased food prices making basic staple foods (maize, cowpea, green leafy vegetable etc.) difficult to access for both low and middle-income classes [1]. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also predicted that over 19 million Nigerians would face food insecurity in […]
5 Insights on Generative AI, Social Impact and the Role of Business
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is triggering transformations that were hard to envisage even a year ago, with some predicting it could be as transformative as the Industrial Revolution. Generative AI, which includes systems such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Bing Chat, Google’s Bard, and Anthropic’s Claude, can generate new content or predictions based on vast amounts […]
Time to Act: 3 Ways the Business Community Can Take Action to Help Improve Youth Mental Health
A call to action by members of the, UNICEF led, Global Coalition for Youth Mental Health The mental health of young people globally was a major concern before COVID-19. Now, with the pandemic having exacerbated many mental health issues, it can no longer be ignored. For all countries, it is past the time to prioritize […]
Addressing Vaccination Inequity Among Marginalised Groups in Europe
Listen to this article (audio generated using AI assistance): This year’s Immunisation Week, the annual campaign to expand vaccination globally, is rightly focussed on, “The Big Catch Up,” – getting countries back on track with routine vaccinations after pandemic-related disruptions. According to the CDC, outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, polio, and diphtheria are rising […]
Time to Act on Mental Health: UNICEF’s Global Coalition for Youth Mental Well-being
The Global Coalition for Youth Mental Well-being, hosted by UNICEF, was born out of the belief that the mental well-being of youth cannot be addressed by one entity alone but needs collective action. It is time for joint action on mental health. Mental health and psychosocial well-being are fundamental components of a child’s healthy development […]
Millers Change the Game for Food Fortification
Food fortification has been recognized as a highly effective intervention to counter malnutrition, and it has been the subject of events and commitments at the Davos World Economic Forums before. But millers – shorthand for the food processors who produce fortified staples, including rice, flour and oil – have not historically been at the centre […]
Fostering Innovation in Healthcare Financing for Vulnerable Populations
Major progress has been made in improving the health of millions of people globally, with higher life expectancy, lower maternal and child mortality, and better prevention of prevalent communicable diseases. But in many parts of the world, especially in developing countries, access to quality healthcare remains unaffordable for most people. Without a financial safety net, a […]
Stronger Together: How the Food Fortification Ecosystem Can Fight Malnutrition
Stronger together – how the food fortification ecosystem can fight malnutrition by supporting small and medium-sized millers What do the World Food Programme, BASF, Royal DSM and Nigeria Flour Mills have in common? They all recognize the key role of small-scale and medium-sized millers to bring food fortification to scale, as part of national strategies […]