Letter to the U.S. Senate to Pass the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act

The Honorable Bob Menendez
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Chuck Schumer
Senate Majority Leader
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Jim Risch
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Senate Majority Leader
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Risch, Majority Leader Schumer, and Minority Leader McConnell:

All eyes will be on Tokyo in early December as world leaders demonstrate how they will be part of the child survival revolution, and you both are in the unique position to elevate the United States’ leadership. As leaders of nonprofit organizations, many of whom are partners of U.S. government efforts to end preventable childhood deaths, we urge you to quickly mark up and pass S. 2956, the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Act of 2021. With malnutrition rates rising dangerously around the world, this legislation provides the executive branch with the framework, direction and tools that are required to meet this global challenge head on, just as Congress has done in the past on other critical global health issues, such as HIV/AIDS and malaria.

This legislation gives USAID the tools it needs to deploy targeted, evidence-based solutions to prevent and treat malnutrition around the world and to improve the futures of at-risk children and their families. It optimizes U.S. global nutrition assistance programming through improved  coordination with public and private partners; increased coverage of high-impact, proven  interventions in priority countries; and updated  planning and reporting requirements. The bill also calls for participation in innovative finance mechanisms that amplify U.S. government nutrition investments, improved UN system coordination on nutrition programming, and an expanded nutrition research agenda to identify and develop best practices. This legislation could impact the lives of tens of millions of women and children. It will deepen U.S. global leadership and strengthen strategic focus.

The time to act is now. Malnutrition is entirely preventable, but it is a major underlying cause of child deaths worldwide. Malnutrition claims roughly 3.1 million children’s lives each year – meaning a child dies of malnutrition every 11 seconds – and is a key factor in about 45% of deaths in children under age 5. COVID has intensified  this crisis, with experts predicting that the COVID-19 pandemic could cause up to a 50 percent rise in severe malnutrition. Since malnutrition weakens immune systems and leaves young children up to 15 times more likely to die from common infectious diseases, this increase in malnutrition rates threatens to amplify the spread of COVID-19.

On December 7-8, the Government of Japan will host the next Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit and leaders from around the world will gather to demonstrate their commitments to ending malnutrition. To reaffirm the U.S. commitment to elevate nutrition, we ask that you prioritize the mark up and passage of the Global Malnutrition Treatment and Prevention Act of 2021 so the President can sign the bill into law in advance of the Summit.

We represent multi-mandate organizations working across a range of issue areas, united in prioritizing nutrition in this crucial time. By coming together and demonstrating a strong U.S. commitment through this legislation, we will save lives and help millions of children and families to survive and thrive.

Sincerely,

Arlene Mitchell, Executive Director, Global Child Nutrition Foundation
Arun Baral, Chief Executive Officer, HarvestPlus
Atul Tandon, Chief Executive Officer, Opportunity International
Bettina Hausmann, President & Chief Executive Officer, UN Association of San Diego
Blythe Thomas, Initiative Director, 1,000 Days
Carrie Hessler Radelet, President, Global Communities
Dr. Charles Owubah, Chief Executive Officer, Action Against Hunger
Edgar Sandoval Sr., President & Chief Executive Officer, World Vision US
Eric P. Mitchell, Executive Director, Alliance to End Hunger
Rev. Eugene Cho, President & Chief Executive Officer, Bread for the World
Dr. Joanne Carter, Executive Director, RESULTS
Kathy Spahn, President and Chief Executive Officer, Helen Keller International
Lisa Hilmi,  Executive Director, CORE Group
Maria Kasparian, Executive Director, Edesia
Mark Moore, Chief Executive Officer, Mana Nutrition
Mark Viso, President & Chief Executive Officer, Food for the Hungry
Michael J. Nyenhuis, President & Chief Executive Officer, UNICEF USA
Michelle Nunn, President & Chief Executive Officer, CARE USA
Rick Santos, President and Chief Executive Officer, Church World Service
Tom Hart, Acting Chief Executive Officer, ONE Campaign
Tricia Beal, Chief Executive Officer, Farm Journal Foundation

The Honorable John Boozman
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Roger Wicker
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20515