Humanitarian situation and needs
Key messages
Fighting acute undernutrition is a priority for the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO). €164 million of humanitarian assistance was allocated in 2013 alone. Through its funding ECHO contributes to addressing the root causes of this problem.
Women and children are particularly vulnerable to undernutrition, which has dramatic impact on morbidity, mortality but also on children's physical and cognitive development.
In addition to natural disasters, undernutrition is often caused by structural problems like food insecurity, chronic poverty or lack of public services in the health and education sectors.
To fight undernutrition in a more sustainable manner, humanitarian and development actors must work together through a multisectoral approach to build up the resilience* of the most vulnerable communities.
Most of ECHO's nutrition interventions in 2013 focused on the response to the Sahel crisis and continued support to the Horn of Africa* and South Asia, two regions that are particularly vulnerable to disasters.
Major needs and related problems
Global hunger and undernutrition affect more people than ever before. This is linked to population growth and the increasing frequency and intensity of natural and man-made disasters, which reduce the capacity of the most vulnerable populations to access safe and nutritious food and health services, which would allow them to lift themselves out of poverty.
3.1 million children die every year because of undernutrition; this is more than 8 000 children every day (Source: The Lancet, 2013). In response to this unacceptable reality, the European Commission increasingly targets its humanitarian and food assistance* on the hungriest and most vulnerable populations in extreme crises.
'Wasting', meaning that children are too thin for their height due to starvation and/or disease, is affecting 52 million children under the age of five in the world, most of them living in Asia. It has a dramatic impact on morbidity, mortality but also on the development of children's physical and cognitive capacities. Acute undernutrition is also affecting women, especially those pregnant or lactating and increases their mortality risk and that of their babies. The first 1 000 days of life are particularly critical in preventing undernutrition and its consequences.
Wasting is not only related to humanitarian crises. Some countries have persistent high levels of acute undernutrition such as in South Asia, where it is estimated that wasting is prevalent in over 15% of the population.
