About the Global Action Plan on Child Wasting
Learn more about the GAP
The Framework
In June 2019, the UN Secretary-General commissioned UN agencies working on nutrition (FAO, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and WHO) with preparing the first-ever Global Action Plan (GAP) on Child Wasting.
The plan aims to respond to the slow progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on reducing childhood wasting, and to growing calls for a more coordinated and streamlined UN approach to addressing this challenge.
To achieve the goal of reducing wasting prevalence to less than 3% by 2030, the GAP Framework will accelerate action towards four key outcomes that will directly contribute to the achievement of the SDG targets on wasting:
- Reduced incidence of low birthweight
- Improved infant and young child feeding
- Improved child health
- Improved early detection and treatment of child wasting
Under each outcome, the GAP Framework identifies pathways to accelerate the delivery of essential actions and create an enabling environment for good nutrition to take hold.
Introductory video of the Global Action Plan on Child Wasting
The Approach
The GAP Framework recognizes that effective responses to child wasting must be informed by evidence about the specific drivers of wasting and how they manifest to increase vulnerability across different contexts, populations and seasons.
Guided by context-specific evidence, the Framework calls on national governments and their partners to accelerate the delivery of essential actions by strengthening national systems - including health, food and social protection systems - to deliver healthy diets and nutrition services and care for mothers and children to prevent and treat child wasting.
The framework for Action
GAP partners
FAO, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and WHO have joined forces to work more effectively and efficiently in supporting the implementation of the GAP Framework. The UN Agencies have committed to lead and coordinate their efforts in a more streamlined and impactful manner, building on their specific mandates, expertise and capacities.
For more information on the GAP Focal Points, please visit this page.
