This 2014–2015 Global Food Policy Report is the fourth in an annual series that provides a comprehensive overview of major food policy developments and events. In this report, distinguished researchers, policymakers, and practitioners review what happened in food policy in 2014 at the global, regional, and national levels, and—supported by the latest knowledge and research—explain why. This year’s report is the first to also look forward a year, offering analysis of the potential opportunities and challenges that we will face in achieving food and nutrition security in 2015.

THE FOOD, SOCIAL, HEALTH, AND LIVING ENVIRONMENTS IN WHICH PEOPLE MAKE DECISIONS HAVE A HUGE INFLUENCE ON NUTRITIONAL STATUS. For optimal nutrition, these underlying factors matter. For example, the food environment should make healthy diets available, affordable, accessible, and desirable. The social environment should set norms about good nutrition and hygiene and support people in caring for their nutrition and the nutrition of their families.

COMMITMENT WITHOUT FUNDING REPRESENTS UNFULFILLED GOOD INTENTIONS. IF NUTRITION-PROMOTING ACTIONS ARE TO BE IMPLEMENTED AND TARGETS MET, they need to be financed. Financing for nutrition comes from governments (domestic), from international sources—the bilateral and multilateral aid agencies and foundations that make up the “donor” community—and from people themselves.

ASSESS PROGRESS AGAINST GLOBAL TARGETS; MAKE SMART COMMITMENTS; ACCELERATE IMPLEMENTATION; ACCELERATE THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE UNDERLYING DRIVERS; FINANCE THE GLOBAL TARGETS; MEASURE PROGRESS AT THE NATIONAL AND SUBNATIONAL LEVEL

The Global Nutrition Report, an independent accountability mechanism for progress and action on nutrition, calls on all actors to make SMART Commitments to Nutrition Action—that is, commitments that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound. Specifically, we call on governments to make SMART Commitments to Nutrition Action to achieve national nutrition targets and to put in place monitoring systems that allow them and others to assess progress.

Few challenges facing the global community today match the scale of malnutrition, a condition that directly affects 1 in 3 people. Malnutrition manifests itself in many different ways: as poor child growth and development; as individuals who are skin and bone or prone to infection; as those who are carrying too much weight or whose blood contains too much sugar, salt, fat, or cholesterol; or those who are deficient in important vitamins or minerals.

El Informe de la Nutrición Mundial, un mecanismo independiente de responsabilidad para impulsar los avances y las acciones en materia de nutrición, hace un llamado a todos los actores para que adopten compromisos SMART a favor de la nutrición, es decir, compromisos que sean específicos, medibles, alcanzables, realistas y limitados en el tiempo. En particular, instamos a todos los gobiernos a adoptar compromisos SMART con el fin de cumplir con los objetivos nacionales de nutrición e implementar sistemas de monitoreo que les permitan a ellos y demás agentes evaluar los progresos realizados.

Le Rapport sur la nutrition mondiale, un mécanisme de redevabilité indépendant pour les avancées et les actions en matière de nutrition, invite tous les acteurs à prendre des engagements SMART en faveur de la nutrition – c’est-à-dire des engagements qui sont spécifiques, mesurables, atteignables, réalistes et limités dans le temps. Plus précisément, nous invitons les gouvernements à prendre des engagements SMART afin d’atteindre les cibles nationales de nutrition et de mettre en place des systèmes de suivi qui leur permettront, à eux comme à d’autres, d’évaluer les progrès en ce sens.

O Relatório sobre a Nutrição Mundial, um mecanismo independente de responsabilização voltado para o progresso e a ação em prol da nutrição, convoca todas as partes interessadas a assumir compromissos SMART de ação em prol da nutrição — isto é, compromissos específicos, mensuráveis, realizáveis, relevantes e com prazo definido.