Thank you, Minister Mitchell.
First, I thank once again the UK for its leadership in bringing us together in this historic building.
As we meet in comfort and security, none of us are worried about where our next meal will come from.
None of us are worried about feeding our own children.
And yet right now, that is the reality for millions of children and parents in our world.
As others have said, "It's not just about having enough food; it's about having access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food."
Conflicts have disrupted supply chains and made food a weapon of war.
As we speak, women and children in Gaza, and in other conflicts, are suffering from not having access to food and water.
An even worse humanitarian disaster will unfold if Gaza if the conflict does not stop and humanitarian aid is delivered in much greater volumes.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of food systems.
And climate change is destroying crops and making agriculture livelihoods unreliable for hundreds of millions of people.
Food systems are also part of the problem, by contributing to carbon emissions and putting pressure on our planet.
These overlapping crises demand change in the way we produce, distribute and consume food.
Shifting towards more plant-based and sustainable diets can reduce the impact on the environment and mitigate climate change.
At COP27 in Cairo last year, the government of Egypt, in collaboration with WHO and other partners launched the Initiative on Climate Change and Nutrition.
Nutrition will again be on the agenda as part of the dedicated day on health at COP 28 in the UAE next month.
And I thank Your Excellency Minister Almheiri for your leadership on this issue, and I look forward to joining you in Dubai.
I also commend the UK's commitment to tackling climate change, environmental damage and biodiversity loss in its new Strategy for International Development.
Climate change is a key priority for WHO, and we are committed to supporting countries to build more climate-resilient and climate-friendly health systems.
Even as we address the upstream drivers of food insecurity, we also need to improve our capacity to deal with the downstream burden of malnutrition in health systems.
The political declaration on universal health coverage adopted by the UN General Assembly this year recognizes that food security, food safety, adequate nutrition and sustainable, resilient and diverse food systems are essential for promoting healthier populations.
It calls for the implementation of essential nutrition actions.
However, in low- and middle-income countries, access to essential nutrition interventions lags far behind other essential health services.
For example, while half of children with diarrhoea receive life-saving and inexpensive oral rehydration therapy, less than one in six receive zinc supplements which help with recovery and growth..
And while two-thirds of pregnant women have access to antenatal care, only half of them receive iron and folic acid supplements.
As mentioned by David Miliband, we also need to optimize and rationalize the delivery of services to manage wasting, particularly in humanitarian crises, without compromising quality of care.
It's essential therefore, that countries integrate these essential, life-saving nutrition interventions as part of their journey towards universal health coverage.
That will require strengthening the health workforce with a sufficient number of nutrition professionals.
Globally on average, there are only two trained nutrition professionals per 100,000 population, while at least 10 are needed.
This is a problem across the world. Only 23 countries are able to meet this WHO standard.
Investment in direct nutrition interventions must also be increased.
In the 48 countries for which we have data, average government expenditure and donor investment on nutrition is much lower than for other areas of health spending.
Any yet for each dollar invested, there is an estimated return of 16 US dollars.
I commend the government of Pakistan for having announced today their investment in eliminating malnutrition in all its forms and, and to reduce the proportion of children suffering from wasting. I commend the 23 countries who have committed to implement the Global Action Plan on Wasting.
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Honourable ministers, dear colleagues and friends, let me leave you with three requests.
First, we must strengthen services.
We urge countries to integrate service for nutrition into health services as part of their journey towards universal health coverage.
Second, we must strengthen support.
We urge donors to invest in supporting the countries that need it most.
And third, we must transform food systems.
All of us together have a role to play in changing the way food is produced, distributed and consumed, to prevent disease and promote healthier populations, societies and economies and to protect our planet.
My thanks once again to the UK for your leadership on this issue.
WHO remains committed to working with all of you to strengthen services, strengthen support and transform systems to make food what it should be - a source of health.
I thank you.
