United Nations University Food and Nutrition Programme for Human and Social Development
UNU-FNP
Inadequate diets, hunger and malnutrition continue to be critical problems in developing countries. The situation has not improved but rather has escalated during the last decade. Hardest hit by undernutrition are countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Iron deficiency anemia, iodine deficiency and vitamin A deficiency are some of the most common problems resulting from the lack of a balanced diet in these regions. The World Food Programme estimates that over 22,000 women per year die in India alone from iron deficiency anemia.
Imbalanced diets account for a substantial portion of preventable morbidity and mortality in all countries. Obesity has become a global epidemic and in certain countries occurs simultaneously with micronutrient deficiencies. Obesity and overweight increase the risk of cancers and chronic diseases including diabetes and heart disease, which places an economic burden on nations’ healthcare systems. Good nutrition is essential at all stages of the life cycle - for normal growth and development, school performance, work productivity and healthy aging.
Since 1975 when the United Nations University's Council designated hunger as a major focus, the United Nations University’s Food and Nutrition Programme has made major contributions to training, research, institution building, and policy formation particularly in developing countries. The Programme is dedicated to improving lives through the generation of new knowledge and by providing access to current food and nutrition information within institutions. This knowledge is then applied at a grassroots level by in-country individual nutrition professionals and practitioners. The Programme has developed a network of scholars including nutritional scientists, food scientists, agronomists, biochemists, biostatisticians, epidemiologists, economists, sociologists among others. These scientists collaborate within a global network of universities which facilitates the generation and application new and novel approaches to combat global food and nutrition issues.
The Food and Nutrition Programme, which has been coordinated within the Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY USA since 1996, fulfils the mandate of the United Nations University by focusing on three very interrelated missions:
- Providing technical, non-political, non-normative advisory services for the UN system: As a result of its independent and unique standing as the “think tank” for the United Nations System on issues of food and nutrition, the Programme has the capability to organize and implement unbiased expert advisory committees comprised of leading academic scholars who address current nutrition-related issues on an ad hoc basis. The advisory services, which can be commissioned on a short or long-term basis, address a broad scope of issues of global relevance by recruiting the leading and most appropriate experts in their fields.
- Building institutional capacity in developing countries: The Food and Nutrition Programme has established a global network of universities to enhance academic and institutional capacity in regions with the greatest needs in the areas of food and public health nutrition. The network includes universities in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe. The global network, which is comprised of smaller regional networks, focuses on building institutional capacity in food and nutrition, with the ultimate goal of training and educating the next generation of academics and practitioners capable of addressing and solving local public health needs.
- Implementing research projects to benefit the global community: The Food and Nutrition Programme’s goal is to undertake research projects that will have a beneficial global impact. Recent project examples include the completion of the new International Growth Standards for young children, the first truly international growth standard available for children ages 1-5. A similar project for school-aged children was initiated subsequently which, upon completion will also be used worldwide.
*Link to Cornell Faculty
The Food and Nutrition Programme offers short duration regional and international leadership training programs, and sponsors student networks aimed at facilitating the development of future leaders in the field of human nutrition in developing regions. These programs enhance the skills of leaders, initiate team building and enhance communication and dissemination of nutrition information among young professionals. The programme is specifically designed for individuals who have experience in various fields of nutrition including graduating PhD students, postdoctoral fellows and other candidates with comparable working experience in the broader context of human nutrition sciences.
The Food and Nutrition Programme supports the publication of The Food and Nutrition Bulletin, a journal devoted to the publication of scientific research and review articles with direct relevance to developing nations.
For more information about the Food and Nutrition Programme contact:
Patrick Stover |
Sara Shapiro |
| Director UNU-FNP |
UNU-FNP coordinator |
127 Savage Hall |
316 Savage Hall |
Cornell University |
Cornell University |
Ithaca, NY 14853 |
Ithaca, NY 14853 |
USA |
USA |
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