Devex: A tipping point for MNCH and nutrition? Reflections on an U.N.-usual General Assembly
Joel Spicer, president of the Micronutrient Initiative

“…U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Every Woman, Every Child event [during the U.N. General Assembly Meeting in September] saw Canada, Norway, and the United States mobilize more than $4 billion for a Global Financing Facility set up by the World Bank with the goal of saving and improving the lives of women and children as well as accelerating progress to achieve the health Millennium Development Goals before the end of 2015. Fighting malnutrition will be essential to meet that goal. … The establishment of the Global Financing Facility … is a testament to the impact of leadership and the power of aligned values expressed through joint action and commitment. It is further evidence of the growing determination to move the global discussion about women and children from ‘talk’ to ‘action’ and to keep it high on the global agenda. That is something to be inspired by, and a cause for optimism and renewed determination…” (10/8).