SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Global Malnutrition 
Prevention and Treatment Act of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF EFFORTS TO PREVENT AND 
TREAT MALNUTRITION GLOBALLY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, in coordina-
tion with the heads of other relevant Federal departments 
and agencies, is authorized and encouraged to support ef-
forts to prevent and treat malnutrition globally, including 
by— 
(1) targeting resources and nutrition interven-
tions to support the most vulnerable populations 
susceptible to severe malnutrition, including children 
under the age of 5 and pregnant and lactating 
women; 
(2) increasing coverage, particularly in priority 
countries, of nutrition interventions that include co-
ordinated deployment of prenatal nutrient supple-
ments, breastfeeding support, vitamin A supplemen-
tation, specialized nutritious food products for the 
treatment of acute malnutrition, and other evidence- 
based interventions, as appropriate; 
(3) increasing the use of context and country- 
appropriate fortification of staples and condiments 
with essential nutrients;
(4) advancing evidence-based programs and 
interventions carried out using data-driven ap-
proaches, best practices, and targeted to country- 
specific contexts and needs; 
(5) supporting partner governments to develop 
policies to prevent and treat malnutrition; 
(6) leveraging investments to strengthen health 
systems, including to support community health 
workers to advance improved nutrition outcomes; 
(7) improve diets through safe, affordable, nu-
tritious foods in the food system; and 
(8) ensuring rigorous monitoring and evaluation 
of such efforts. 
(b) EXTERNAL COORDINATION EFFORTS RELATED 
TO NUTRITION PROGRAMS.—The Administrator, in co-
ordination with the heads of other relevant Federal de-
partments and agencies, should coordinate, as appro-
priate, with bilateral and multilateral donors, governments 
of partner countries, United Nations agencies, civil society 
organizations, nongovernmental organizations, including 
faith-based organizations, and the private sector to pre-
vent and treat malnutrition globally, including by sup-
porting efforts to— 
(1) build the capacity of local and community- 
based organizations and governments of partner
countries to ensure sustainability of nutrition inter-
ventions; 
(2) expand research and innovation to identify 
and increase effective and evidence-based nutrition 
interventions based on country-specific contexts; 
(3) improve coordination and structure of sup-
ply chains for nutrition interventions; 
(4) expand domestic resource mobilization and 
domestic financing for nutrition interventions; and 
(5) seek to leverage additional resources and 
encourage investment into innovative and multi- 
stakeholder finance partnerships to advance burden 
sharing in nutrition-related assistance. 
(c) INTERAGENCY EFFORTS.—In carrying out sub-
sections (a) and (b), the Administrator, in coordination 
with the heads of other relevant Federal departments and 
agencies, consistent with the Global Nutrition Coordina-
tion Plan, shall seek to leverage additional resources to 
prevent and treat malnutrition globally, including by— 
(1) increasing cooperation among relevant Fed-
eral departments and agencies represented in the 
Global Nutrition Coordination Plan to better lever-
age grants, technical assistance, debt, equity, loan 
guaranties, and public-private partnerships; and
(2) utilizing the Administrator’s role as a mem-
ber of the Board of Directors of the United States 
International Development Finance Corporation to 
consider opportunities within the Corporation’s de-
velopment impact framework that support improved 
nutrition outcomes. 
SEC. 3. SELECTION OF PRIORITY COUNTRIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, in coordina-
tion with the Nutrition Leadership Council, shall select 
foreign countries as priority countries for purposes of tar-
geting programs to prevent and treat malnutrition glob-
ally. 
(b) CRITERIA.—The selection of priority countries 
under subsection (a) shall be based on the following: 
(1) The prevalence of severe malnutrition 
among children under the age of 5 and pregnant 
and lactating women. 
(2) The presence of high-need, underserved, 
marginalized, vulnerable, or impoverished commu-
nities. 
(3) The enabling environment for improved nu-
trition, including presence of national nutrition plans 
and demonstration of strong political commitment. 
(4) Any other criteria that the Administrator 
determines to be appropriate.
(c) UPDATES.—The Administrator shall update the 
selection of priority countries under subsection (a) not 
later than 5 years after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
(d) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the Administrator should continue to undertake 
nutrition interventions in countries not selected as priority 
countries, particularly in contexts in which opportunities 
are identified to advance multi-sectoral development pro-
gramming and integrate efforts to prevent and treat global 
malnutrition with other priority areas and program objec-
tives. 
SEC. 4. NUTRITION LEADERSHIP COUNCIL. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator is author-
ized to establish in the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development the Nutrition Leadership Council 
(in this section referred to as the ‘‘Council’’), which shall 
coordinate Agency efforts to prevent and treat malnutri-
tion globally. 
(b) DUTIES.—The duties of the Council shall in-
clude— 
(1) advancing United States Agency for Inter-
national Development efforts to prevent and treat 
malnutrition globally;
(2) ensuring nutrition interventions, particu-
larly in priority countries, are carried out in close 
coordination with other relevant United States Gov-
ernment strategies and policies and provisions of 
law, including— 
(A) the Global Food Security Act of 2016 
(22 U.S.C. 9301 et seq.); 
(B) the Senator Paul Simon Water for the 
World Act of 2014 (22 U.S.C. 2151 note); 
(C) the Global Child Thrive Act of 2020 
(subtitle I of title XII of division A of Public 
Law 116–283); and 
(D) the Global Fragility Act of 2019 (22 
U.S.C. 9801 et seq.); and 
(3) ensuring nutrition interventions are coordi-
nated with nutrition programs carried out by other 
relevant Federal departments and agencies. 
(c) MEMBERSHIP.—The Council shall include rep-
resentatives of the following bureaus and independent of-
fices of the United States Agency for International Devel-
opment: 
(1) The Bureau for Global Health. 
(2) The Bureau for Resilience and Food Secu-
rity. 
(3) The Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.