Malnutrition: G8 meeting

This week, G8 development ministers are meeting in Halifax to decide on development priorities for the upcoming leaders summit in June. A key issue being discussed is the health of mothers and young children, and it is easy to understand why: Each year, more than 3.5 million children die as a result of poor nutrition. This is nearly 10,000 lives lost each day.
No issue is more urgent, or more foundational to other development goals, than getting maternal and child nutrition right. Canada is providing critical leadership on this issue as it hosts the G8 Summit.
The science is now clear on what’s at stake. We know that children never recover from the mental and physical stunting that occurs if undernourished in their first two years of life. By allowing under-twos to remain malnourished, we are robbing an entire generation of their very future. That’s why the focus on under-twos is critical — this is the window of opportunity where a global investment can pay dividends for decades to come.
Globally, malnutrition affects almost 200 million children (UNICEF). This means that 200 million children right now are being dealt lasting damage to their young minds and bodies. These are children affected by the earthquake in Haiti, the drought in Kenya, violence in Somalia, and high prices in the Central Asian republics.
Malnutrition is an economic issue as well. Studies show that the cost of malnutrition to developing countries is as high as 11 per cent of GDP, and children who receive adequate nutrition earn wages that are nearly 50 per cent higher as adults.
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/columns/article/800151--g8-leaders-should-focus-on-maternal-and-child-nutrition