Advocacy

Save the Children warns of dire situation for children with stunted growth

Freya Lucas

Sep 18, 2023

Save

An estimated 194 million children born between now and 2030 will have stunted growth unless world leaders gathering this week at the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit urgently accelerate progress towards meeting the goals, advocacy organisation Save the Children have said.

Leaders will meet today and tomorrow for the 2023 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit in New York. The summit marks the mid-way point towards the 2030 deadline for achieving the global goals and aims to prompt a new wave of high-level political commitment on actions.The latest findings from Save the Children’s new data visualisation tool, the Child Atlas, expose the grim consequences of global inaction in addressing rising levels of malnutrition, which countries committed to end in SDG2 on zero hunger.If current stunting trends persist, nearly one newborn on average will be stunted every second over the next seven years. Stunting damages growth and development in children who are undernourished or have poor nutrition and can have devastating lifelong effects - making them more susceptible to disease and infection and damaging their physical and cognitive development. Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are expected to bear the heaviest burden, estimated to account for 86 million cases of stunting for children born between 2023 and 2030, followed closely by South Asia with 67 million cases.

The Eastern Asia and Pacific region is set to witness nearly 22 million stunted children, while the Middle East and North Africa brace for 9.6 million cases, and Latin and Central America anticipate 6.7 million children facing stunted growth. Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) stand among the top four countries expected to face the highest levels of stunting in the next seven years with over 25 per cent of their populations currently experiencing crisis levels of hunger. The Child Atlas also found that more than half of projected stunting cases to children born in the next seven years will happen to children living in the poorest 40 per cent of households, underscoring the impact of extreme poverty on children’s development. While stunting has steadily decreased since 2000, progress has fallen short of the internationally agreed targets of 100 million cases by 2025 or to eradicate all forms of malnutrition by 2030. “The silent crisis of stunting speaks volumes about how much work is still needed to address the global hunger crisis to reach the SDGs by 2030,” Nana Ndeda, Head of Advocacy and Policy for Hunger at Save the Children said.

“If we do not eradicate all forms of malnutrition in the next seven years, an entire generation of children will suffer the ripple effects of hunger. Children must be at the forefront of all decisions at UNGA; their futures depend on it.” “Although immediate funding is critical to saving lives now, we need longer-term solutions and changes to systems that will stop this crisis from recurring. Reactive humanitarian funding is too slow, unreliable, costly and ultimately ineffective to tackle the complex crises of today. World leaders must invest in early warning systems and disaster preparedness to better prepare for future shocks and mitigate the impacts before it is too late. We also need world leaders to commit to an overhaul of the global financial systems to unlock the finance needed at scale to deliver the SDGs for all people everywhere, in line with the pledge to Leave No One Behind.” Save the Children is calling on world leaders at the UNGA to address the root causes of acute food and nutrition insecurity. Only by putting an end to global conflict, by tackling the climate crisis and global inequality, and by building more resilient health, nutrition and social protection systems that are less vulnerable to shocks like COVID-19, will we be able to ensure the same warnings are not ringing out again in the coming years. The child right’s organisation is also calling for greater collaboration, dialogue and investment across sectors with, and leadership by, local communities, to bolster response planning and implementation, as well as our abilities to act early and prevent predictable shocks from turning into crises. Save the Children is also calling on world leaders to scale up low-cost interventions to prevent and treat malnutrition: community-based treatment for acute malnutrition, supporting and protecting breastfeeding, and investing in community and primary-level healthcare.

Don’t miss a thing

Male educators in early childhood: renewed debate highlights deeper workforce questions

A recent article published by Education Daily has reignited national discussion about the need for more male teachers across Australia. While much of the public commentary focuses on primary and secondary schooling, the gender imbalance is even more pronounced in early childhood education and care (ECEC).

Inclusion under the National Quality Framework: what it means for services

Inclusion is not an optional add-on in early childhood education and care (ECEC). It is embedded within the National Quality Framework (NQF) and underpins expectations about access, participation and equitable outcomes for all children.

Observations in the EYLF: why quality matters more than quantity

Questions about observations and documentation continue to surface across the early childhood education and care sector, particularly as educators navigate increasing workload pressures alongside expectations around planning, assessment and compliance.

Peppa Pig introduces deaf character in storyline focused on inclusion

The long-running children’s television series Peppa Pig has introduced a new storyline featuring a moderately deaf character, marking a notable moment in the program’s approach to representation and inclusion.

My hands, In plain sight

This article touches on child safety and abuse-related concerns in early childhood education and care. If these topics are difficult for you, please take care while reading and seek support if needed, contacts at the end.