On November 15, 2021, the Health and Global Policy Institute and NCD Alliance will co-host an online event on Nutrition for Health, Not Just for Growth, an official side event of the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit 2021. The Summit comes at a critical time, midway through the United Nations (UN) Decade of Action on Nutrition, with only five years left to achieve the World Health Assembly (WHA) targets on maternal, infant and young child nutrition, and 10 years to reach the SDGs.

Currently, malnutrition due to poor and unhealthy diets is one of the most serious challenges for public health, economic development, and environmental sustainability. The issue of a double burden of nutritional problems, where undernutrition exists alongside obesity and other diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Type 2 diabetes, is growing. This has a significant economic impact as malnutrition increases healthcare expenditure and reduces labour productivity. Similarly, NCDs account for 72% of all deaths and 75% of health care dollars spent globally and are a major burden in achieving the Sustainable Develop Goals (SDGs). Governments and relevant stakeholders must address the issues of malnutrition and NCDs as they negatively impact the economy and undermine progress toward other global health targets.

The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the urgency of this situation and exposed the vulnerability of global food systems. At the same time, it has provided an opportunity to rethink food systems and make stronger commitments. As with the pandemic, tackling malnutrition requires political commitment, leadership, and collaboration across sectors. Moreover, there is a need for coherent, transparent, and evidence-based prevention strategies that address food, nutrition, health, and social protection.

The round table will look at the role of nutrition in achieving robust and sustainable Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and will include discussions around smart financing for NCDs, domestic financing opportunities, and securing new investment in good nutrition internationally. Guest speakers with experiences in government, NGOs, academia, UN agencies, and the private sector will also introduce examples of evidence-based solutions that aim to reduce to the risk of diet-related NCDs within the context of international goals, targets, strategies, and standards on nutrition.

The event will be held in English with simultaneous interpretation in Spanish, French, and Japanese.

■ Date and Time: Monday, November 15, 2021 at 21:00-22:30 (JST)

■ Venue: Zoom Webinar

■ Participation fee: Free

■ Speakers:
Alafia Samuels (World Obesity Federation)
Cheryl Toner (Director of Food Sector Engagement—American Heart Association Representative)
Lucinda Westerman (Policy and Campaigns Manager, NCD Alliance—Moderator)
Naoko Yamamoto (Assistant Director-General of Universal Health Coverage / Healthier Populations World Health Organisation—WHO Representative)
Nicole Ide (Technical Advisor, Sodium & Surveillance—Resolve to Save Lives Representative)
Paraskevi Seferidi (Healthy Food, Healthy Planet, Healthy People Centre of Research Excellence—The George Institute for Global Health)
Shakira Choonara (NCD Child Young Leader, Technical Support Specialist, WHO—Youth Representative)
Yoko Saito (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Japan)