As climate change accelerates, so too does its devastating impact on global health, particularly on malnutrition. At the recent Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's 2024 GoalKeepers event in New York on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly , global leaders, health advocates, and innovators gathered to address a growing crisis--one where more than 400 million children worldwide are not receiving the nutrients they need to thrive. Chiemelie Ezeobi, who was in attendance writes that the event themed "Recipe for Progress" highlighted not only the scale of the challenge but also celebrated leaders advancing solutions to ensure children can grow and flourish, even in the face of a warming planet
In a world where over 400 million children are deprived of the nutrients they need to thrive, global leaders, health advocates, and innovators recently gathered at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's 2024 GoalKeepers event to celebrate the progress being made and confront the growing challenges ahead.
Held at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly week in New York, the event, themed "Recipe for Progress," spotlighted solutions to combat malnutrition and climate change's worsening impact on children's health, a problem that was often overlooked, especially in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries (LMIC).
Global Crisis Exacerbated by Climate Change
Undoubtedly, the statistics are staggering. Quoting the World Health Organisation (WHO), Co-founder Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates said 148 million children worldwide suffer from stunting--a condition where children do not grow to their full physical or mental potential--and 45 million children experience wasting, a severe form of acute malnutrition that leaves them dangerously underweight.
He noted that these forms of malnutrition not only threaten children's survival but also limit their cognitive development, preventing them from reaching their full potential.
This, at the heart of the Goalkeepers 2024 event was a stark message: the global malnutrition crisis is intensifying, and climate change is making it even harder to solve.
In his sobering analysis of the issue prior to the Goalkeepers, he said: "This summer, UNICEF released its first report on child food poverty. The findings were stark. Two-thirds of the world's children--more than 400 million kids--are not getting enough nutrients to grow and thrive, putting them at higher risk for malnutrition".
He further explained that climate change, with its far-reaching effects on food systems, is becoming a major driver of malnutrition. Also citing projections from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), a partner of the Gates Foundation, he said they indicate that between 2024 and 2050, 40 million additional children will be stunted and 28 million more will experience wasting due to climate change.
"What these data show is that the health crisis and the climate crisis are the same thing in the poorest countries near the equator," Gates said. "In fact, the best way to fight the impacts of climate change is by investing in nutrition."
The Economic Costs of Malnutrition for Nations
Malnutrition's impact on the globe is not just a health issue, but also a profound economic burden, of which Gates underscored the staggering $3 trillion in global productivity loss caused by malnutrition every year.
In low-income countries, this loss ranges from three per cent to 16 per cent of GDP--equivalent to the economic fallout of a 2008-level global recession every year.
"Nations can't grow if their people can't," Gates said, stressing that with the critical link between nutrition and economic development, malnourished children grow up to be less productive adults, limiting their ability to contribute to their economies.
Today, one in five children worldwide suffers from stunting, and climate change threatens to raise that number significantly. "If we don't act now, the global economy will face dire consequences in 20 years when these children enter their working lives," Gates warned.
"Few economists think of the malnutrition rate as a critical economic data point--but they should start. Nutritional deficits quickly translate into financial deficits," he added.
A Recipe for Progress: Global Solutions for Global Health
The theme of the event, "Recipe for Progress," was more than a metaphor--it was a call to action. The Gates Foundation and its partners presented a blueprint for addressing malnutrition in a rapidly warming world. These solutions are not just about feeding children but ensuring they receive the right balance of macro- and micronutrients for healthy development.
Countries like Brazil, India, Kenya, and Rwanda are already making strides by identifying gaps in their food systems and implementing policies to deliver nutrient-dense foods to their populations. These efforts are not just improving health outcomes but also driving economic growth.
By building more resilient and nutritious food systems, these nations are creating a "double benefit"--improving both public health and economic productivity.
For the Gates Foundation, urgent action is needed in a Race against Time. This was contained in the Gates Foundation's eighth annual Goalkeepers report titled "A Race to Nourish a Warming World".
The report provided a comprehensive analysis of how climate change is exacerbating malnutrition and outlines proven tools that can mitigate its worst impacts, just as it called for immediate global action to reverse the trends of malnutrition.
It also highlighted the importance of continued investments in global health initiatives such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Global Fund, and the Child Nutrition Fund, as these organisations have been instrumental in driving down childhood mortality and improving nutrition outcomes, but their work is far from done.
According to Suzman, "While climate change is making the challenge harder to solve, progress is possible. By scaling up existing tools, investing in promising research, and lifting up champions like the ones we're celebrating today, we can help ensure all children can reach their full potential--and build global resilience as the world gets hotter."
Noting that the path forward is clear, the foundation said nations must invest in the health and nutrition of their youngest citizens to ensure a brighter future.
GoalKeepers 2024
Who are the GoalKeepers and what do they do? "The Goalkeepers are all about bringing together a community of global changemakers who champion the Sustainable Development Goals to energise and inspire each other to continue making progress," said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
This year, he added that "we're focused on the more than 400 million children who aren't getting the nutrients they need to grow and thrive. While climate change is making that challenge harder to solve, progress is possible.
"By scaling up existing tools, investing in promising research, and lifting up champions like the ones we're celebrating today, we can help ensure all children can reach their full potential--and build global resilience as the world gets hotter".
This year, it was hosted by Janet Mbugua, media personality and anchor, and it highlighted opportunities to ensure better nutrition for all so everyone can reach their full potential.
The event also featured special guests, including Jon Batiste, singer, songwriter, and composer; Christy Turlington Burns, founder and president of Every Mother Counts; Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Saul Guerrero Oteyza, UNICEF's senior advisor on financing for child nutrition and development; Muhammad Ali Pate, coordinating minister for health and social welfare of Nigeria; and Marcus Samuelsson, award-winning celebrity chef and philanthropist. Adriana Diaz, co-host of CBS Mornings Plus, and Francine Lacqua, anchor for Bloomberg Television, served as session moderators.
Honouring Champions for Change
At the heart of the event was a celebration of leaders who are making a difference on the ground and are advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals) with solutions to keep people healthy and nourished in a rapidly warming world.
Thus, the Gates Foundation honoured Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva with the Global Goalkeeper Award for his commitment to addressing poverty and malnutrition through programs like Bolsa Familia, which was launched during Lula's first presidency.
Bolsa Familia lifted millions out of poverty, significantly reducing Brazil's stunting rate from 37 per cent to seven per cent over the course of three decades.
Today, Lula is championing the Global Alliance on Hunger and Poverty as the signature initiative of Brazil's G20 presidency, scaling up food security and health initiatives worldwide.
Also recognised were 10 Goalkeepers Champions, who are individuals from across the globe who are advancing health and nutrition in their communities. These champions include: Dr. Tahmeed Ahmed of Bangladesh, who is implementing groundbreaking treatments for childhood malnutrition and leading the development of Bangladesh's national nutrition policy; Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi of Nigeria, who is training tens of thousands of frontline health workers to improve maternal and child nutrition across Nigeria; and Beza Beshah Haile of Ethiopia, who is empowering families affected by spina bifida and working with government agencies to enhance national food fortification programs.
Other honourees who are also spearheading innovative solutions to ensure children receive the nutrients they need to grow and thrive include Dr. Zahra Hoodbhoy of Pakistan, an assistant professor of research at Aga Khan University's Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, who combines public health interventions with AI tools to empower community workers to support mothers before and after delivery. She is also the primary investigator for a clinical trial for next-generation multiple micronutrient supplements.
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Also honoured were Dr. Nancy Krebs of the United States, a professor of pediatrics and nutrition at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, whose extensive research has influenced global health organisations, including WHO and the American Academy of Pediatrics; and Dr. Jemimah Njuki of Kenya, chief of economic empowerment at UN Women, who has more than 20 years of experience in the agriculture sector in Africa and Asia, championing women's empowerment to impact food security and improved nutrition for children and families.
Not left out were Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana of Rwanda, the minister of health, who is prioritising a range of maternal and child nutrition and health interventions--including launching a multiple micronutrient supplementation pilot program for pregnant women; and Lilian dos Santos Rahal of Brazil, the national secretary for food and nutrition security, who has been a leading voice to address Brazilian hunger and malnutrition.
Bhavani Shankar of the United Kingdom, a professorial research fellow at the University of Sheffield, who researches food, health, and environmental sustainability. He is also co-lead of INFUSION, a five-year program seeking to better understand how rural food markets function nutritionally and to establish, test, and deliver evidence for market interventions that improve the availability and affordability of nutrient-dense foods in rural Indian communities.
Last but not the least was Ratan Tata of India, chairman of Tata Trusts, which have supported the prevention and recovery of malnourished children through improved feeding and health care across India. They have pioneered efforts in food and nutrition security through the development of sustainable, diverse food systems--including fortification of salt, milk and edible oils with essential micronutrients.
Summarily, the 2024 Goalkeepers underscored that while the challenges are immense, solutions exist, and with the right investment, the world can make progress against malnutrition--even as the climate crisis looms larger. As the event came to a close, one message resonated above all: the fight against malnutrition is not just a humanitarian imperative--it's an economic one. By nourishing the next generation, the world can build stronger, more resilient communities capable of weathering the storms of a warming planet.
