Nutrition for Growth: 2 years on
DFID releases more funding for nutrition programmes.
International Development Minister Baroness Verma.
Baroness Verma, DFID’s Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, announced that we are unlocking £115 million of our £280 million matched funding today as part of the UK’s Nutrition for Growth commitment. By the second anniversary of the event, more than 50% of the UK’s matched funding commitment (£156 million) has been unlocked as a result of new investments made by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Government of Canada. These unlocked funds will enable the UK to invest in more high impact nutrition specific interventions up 2020.
The UK is firmly on track to meet our ambitious Nutrition for Growth commitments where we promised to triple our core spending over period 2013 to 2020. UK spending on nutrition specific programmes increased from £42m in 2012 to £69m in 2013 compared to a 2010 baseline of £25m. A full report of the spending will be published on Development Initiative’s website, which undertook the independent analysis.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is going beyond its Nutrition for Growth commitment and will double its nutrition spending to 2020 to USD 761 million unlocking £115 million of UK funds. The Government of Canada is unlocking £41 million of UK funds with its new investment USD 123 million. And, as part of the “Power of Nutrition” new financing facility, DFID, partnered with the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the World Bank, UNICEF and UBS Optimus Foundation, will provide £32m if matched by others.
The UK also announced new support for the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement at the event, including support for countries to plan and deliver better nutrition programmes, and for improved data and information about malnutrition in partnership with the EC and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
More information about the Gates Foundation and Government of Canada’s nutrition commitments and the matching of UK funds: