The G20 Summit and Global Nutrition: What the International Community Brings to the Table
By GHHubBy Sam Parker
Non-Communicable Disease Columnist
Harvard College Global Health Review
Heads of state stand with one another at the November 2011 G20 Summit in Cannes, France. Photo courtesy of whitehouse.gov.
At the sixth annual G20 Summit this November in Cannes, France, heads of state gathered to discuss the global financial system and the Greek bailout crisis. In the final declaration published at the conclusion of the meeting, G20 members also promised to improve transparency and stability of global food commodities markets through the newly created Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) and the Global Agricultural Geo-monitoring Initiative.[1] AMIS is meant to facilitate data sharing among buyers and producers of food whereas the Geo-monitoring Initiative is meant to coordinate global weather data to make better predictions on food prices.
Not represented at the G20 summit were the nations which stand most to loose in increasingly volatile food markets: low-income nations. High food prices often lead families to sacrifice costly items like school for children, high-nutrition food, or medical care. On a global scale, malnutrition is thought to account for 16% of the global burden of disease.[2] The problem is most pronounced among youth; physical and mental development is largely a function of good nutrition during childhood. Putting food on the table may be one of the single most effective investments in future global health.[3]
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The G20 Summit and Global Nutrition: What the International Community Brings to the Table
Posted by GHHub
on Dec 4 2011. Filed under Featured Content, Noncommunicable Disease.
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