Joint Action to Stop Wasting: Briefing Note
New collaborative approach launches across 15 countries to prevent and treat child wasting in humanitarian settings through integrated programming
About
In 2025, across 15 crisis-affected countries, approximately 33 million children under five years of age are suffering from wasting, with more than 9 million experiencing severe wasting—the most life-threatening form of child malnutrition. UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) have launched an unprecedented collaborative approach called "Joint Action to Stop Wasting" to address this urgent crisis through coordinated prevention, detection, and treatment efforts in humanitarian settings.
The three-year transition plan (2024-2026) represents a fundamental shift in how humanitarian agencies respond to child wasting, moving from separate programming to unified action. Built on the foundation of the 2023 WHO Guidelines on Prevention and Management of Wasting, this initiative prioritizes prevention first while scaling up support for maternal nutrition and converging services in the same communities. The approach leverages each agency's comparative advantage: UNICEF focuses on treatment services using ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) and essential nutrition services, while WFP provides targeted nutrition support through food assistance and specialized nutritious foods for prevention and recovery.
Implementation occurs in three phases across high-burden contexts including Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen. First-phase countries (Haiti, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, and South Sudan) began transitioning in late 2024, with second-group countries following in 2025 and the final group in 2026. This coordinated timeline ensures systematic learning and adaptation as the new approach scales.
The partnership emphasizes reaching the most vulnerable populations through multiple solutions, including investments in local foods and market-based approaches. Success metrics include stabilizing child wasting prevalence in target areas, increasing access to comprehensive service packages, and strengthening government capacity across sectors. By combining prevention and treatment interventions as a standard package, UNICEF and WFP aim to transform humanitarian nutrition response and ensure no child is left behind.
This groundbreaking collaboration calls for increased multi-year funding, strengthened supply chains for specialized nutritious foods, and updated national policies aligned with WHO guidelines. The initiative represents a critical evolution in humanitarian nutrition programming, moving beyond traditional siloed approaches to deliver integrated, evidence-based solutions that address the root causes of child wasting in crisis-affected communities worldwide.
