What: African Union high-level round table: Addressing Malnutrition, Catalysing Africa's Transformation through Enhanced Multi-sectoral Investments
Who: The Kingdom of Lesotho, the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank's African Leaders for Nutrition (ALN), and partners
When: 16 February 2024; 18:00-20:00 Addis Ababa Time (UTC+3)
Where: Hyatt Regency Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The African Union and African Leaders for Nutrition Champion, His Majesty King Letsie III of the Kingdom of Lesotho, in collaboration with the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank, the African Leaders for Nutrition initiative, and development partners will host a high-level side event on the margins of the African Union Summit on 16 February 2024 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Addis Ababa from 18:00-20:00.
Under the theme, "Addressing Malnutrition, Catalysing Africa's Transformation through Enhanced Multi-sectoral Investments," the session will review the progress made by nutrition leaders towards achieving nutrition targets for the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme-CAADP, the Malabo Declaration, the World Health Assembly, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through sustained and increased investment in nutrition.
The discussion will feature Heads of State and Government, including members of the African Leaders for Nutrition and the Presidential Dialogue Group, who will highlight their country-specific programs and investments to address malnutrition. The leaders will share progress and lessons from their multi-sectoral approaches to tackling malnutrition.
The event will also set forth a pathway for African Union Member States to re-commit and align their national strategic objectives to the continental and global nutrition agendas.
Malnutrition continues to impact Africa significantly: 41% of children under five have various forms of malnutrition, 61 million children are stunted, and 12 million children are wasted. The economic burden of malnutrition is enormous and reduces countries' productivity and potential. The outcome of this discussion will inform the strategies and activities that the African Union Commission and partners will champion to accelerate the reduction of malnutrition in 2025 in Africa.
Expected Participants
- African Union Heads of State and Government
- African Union Member States - Ministers and Ambassadors Representatives
- African Union Commission Representatives
- African Development Bank Representatives
- African Union Development Agency
- Regional Economic Communities Representatives
- United Nations Agencies
- Development partners
- Members of the diplomatic corps
- Other stakeholders