Rethinking the United Nations for the Networked World: An Agenda for Strengthening the UN’s Engagement through Global Solution Networks
27
and in a number of capacities in order to increase the availability, and use, of micronutrients in developing countries; they provide technical and financial assistance, help with procurement and monitoring, advocate for micronutrient programs, and educate relevant bodies about the importance of micronutrients to overall health. In 1990, the Governments of Canada and Mali co-hosted the World Summit for Children in New York. 53 World leaders, governments and international representatives committed to improving the lives of children around the globe by addressing issues of education, child protection, equality and health. As a result of this summit, the Government of Canada pledged to increase the use of vitamin A around the world. To do so, they established the Micronutrient Initiative. The Micronutrient Initiative, established in 1992, was originally focused solely on the provision of vitamin A to the world’s most vulnerable children. The Initiative began as a division within the Canadian Government’s International Development Research Center, and later evolved into an independent organization supported by the Canadian International Development Agency. As the Initiative grew, it began to expand beyond a focus on vitamin A to address other nutritional deficiencies. Over the years, it broadened its operational scope to include the provision of iodine, iron, zinc, folic acid and oral rehydration salts. Since its inception, the Initiative has scaled up to reach over 400 million people every year, including children and other populations particularly vulnerable to malnutrition. In an examination of economic solutions to ten of the world’s biggest challenges, the 2008 Copenhagen Consensus concluded that combatting malnutrition in undernourished children, specifically providing vitamin A and zinc, provides the most beneficial return on investment. In aiming to support existing public-health systems in developing countries, the Micronutrient Initiative often relies on help from partner agencies and organizations, including Unicef, WFP and WHO within the UN system. With UNICEF, the Micronutrient Initiative aims to deliver vitamin A to those who need it in countries around the world. National governments anticipate how many capsules of vitamin A they need for a certain period of time, and place their orders through UNICEF. The Micronutrient Initiative then coordinates with manufacturers to procure the required capsules, which are subsequently donated through an in-kind assistance program, and then distributed to the countries in need. The Initiative also coordinates with the World Food Program, to advise and support them in making sure that the food they deliver meets the requirements of the beneficiaries. The Micronutrient Initiative has worked closely with GAIN, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition. Both organizations are members of the Home Fortification Technical Advisory Group, a group which aims to improve the fortification of locally sourced foods eaten in the home. 54 They have worked together on a number of international projects related to malnutrition, often in complementary advising or funding capacities.
© Global Solution Networks 2014