U.N. agencies renew commitment to REACH initiative to combat child hunger, malnutrition

"United Nations agencies [on Wednesday] stressed the need to tackle child hunger and undernutrition in the pursuit of sustainable development, highlighting a joint initiative that offers practical and effective approaches to combat this problem in the most affected countries," the U.N. News Centre reports. "Under the REACH initiative, the World Food Programme (WFP), the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have committed to a renewed effort against child hunger and undernutrition," the news service writes.

"The U.N. agencies stressed that initiatives such as REACH are crucial to building a strong foundation for achieving global sustainable development goals," the focus of the ongoing Rio+20 summit, according to the news service (6/20). In a related opinion piece published on the WFP webpage, Kanayo Nwanze, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and colleagues argue that the issue of food security "must be on the table" at the summit, writing, "The Rio summit offers a historic opportunity we cannot afford to miss. Achieving healthier food for all and healthier ecosystems can be done" (6/20).