Title: Supporting sustained United States leadership to accelerating global progress against maternal and child malnutrition and supporting United States Agency for International Development's commitment to global nutrition through its multi-sectoral nutrition strategy.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution expresses support for increased U.S. efforts to combat malnutrition among women and children and acknowledges the contributions of the U.S. Agency for International Development in addressing global nutritional needs.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 189 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 189

  Recognizing the importance of sustained United States leadership to 
 accelerating global progress against maternal and child malnutrition 
  and supporting United States Agency for International Development's 
  commitment to global nutrition through its multi-sectoral nutrition 
                               strategy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 7, 2019

  Mr. Marshall (for himself and Mr. McGovern) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and 
    in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing the importance of sustained United States leadership to 
 accelerating global progress against maternal and child malnutrition 
  and supporting United States Agency for International Development's 
  commitment to global nutrition through its multi-sectoral nutrition 
                               strategy.

Whereas 151 million children under the age of 5 in the world--22 percent--are 
        stunted, or chronically undernourished, and in countries highly affected 
        by undernutrition, stunting affects 1 in every 3 children;
Whereas wasting, or acute malnutrition, continues to threaten the lives of an 
        estimated 7.5 percent or nearly 51 million children under the age of 5 
        globally, and more than 38 million children under the age of 5 are 
        overweight;
Whereas malnutrition directly or indirectly causes 45 percent of all deaths--2.6 
        million--of children under age 5 annually and puts those who survive at 
        risk of impaired brain development, lower IQ, weakened immune systems, 
        and greater risk of serious diseases;
Whereas undernourished adolescent girls have impaired cognitive ability and 
        productivity and their future babies are at increased risk for low birth 
        weight and death;
Whereas iron deficiency anemia, associated with undernutrition, contributes to 1 
        in 5 maternal deaths (or 20 percent of maternal mortality);
Whereas poor maternal nutrition contributes to poor fetal development and low 
        birth weight, and an estimated 60 to 80 percent of neonatal deaths occur 
        in low birth weight babies;
Whereas a large body of scientific evidence supports the benefits of improved 
        breastfeeding practices on the short-term and long-term health and 
        development of children and their mothers;
Whereas a growing evidence base demonstrates that reducing maternal and child 
        malnutrition, especially in the critical 1,000 days between pregnancy 
        and age 2, is imperative to ending preventable maternal and child 
        deaths, improving cognitive and physical development, and strengthening 
        children's immune systems to bolster resistance to disease;
Whereas leading economists and Nobel Laureates have identified improving child 
        nutrition as the most cost-effective way to enhance global health and 
        development;
Whereas the United States Agency for International Development's Multi-Sectoral 
        Nutrition Strategy's approach addresses both direct and underlying 
        causes of malnutrition, and its focus on linking humanitarian assistance 
        with development programming helps build resilience to shocks in 
        vulnerable communities;
Whereas malnutrition is a universal issue that no country in the world can 
        afford to overlook, and countries with high burdens of malnutrition, 
        including stunting, wasting, anemia, and micronutrient deficiency, will 
        struggle to achieve sustainable and equitable economic growth;
Whereas the United States plays a lead role supporting the goals of Scaling Up 
        Nutrition, a global movement of 60 countries to prioritize nutrition, 
        particularly during the 1,000-day window of opportunity between a 
        mother's pregnancy and her child's second birthday, through effective 
        policy and dedicated national resources; and
Whereas the world has reduced undernutrition since 1990, yet global progress has 
        been too slow to ensure each child can attain a full and prosperous 
        future regardless of where he or she was born and at the current pace, 
        the global community will not reach its global nutrition targets set for 
        2025: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms that--
                    (A) food security and good nutrition in early 
                childhood saves lives and lays the foundation for 
                healthy physical and cognitive growth and development;
                    (B) the potential benefit of good nutrition is 
                life-long and influences a child's entire future, with 
                entire communities and nations ultimately prospering;
                    (C) the right nutrition helps children learn, helps 
                protect them from illness, increases their productivity 
                and earning potential, and supports the well-being and 
                health of their future offspring; and
                    (D) women who are well-nourished and do not suffer 
                from anemia are less likely to die in childbirth and to 
                give birth to children who are malnourished, breaking 
                the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition;
            (2) reaffirms that--
                    (A) good nutrition is also an economic issue 
                central to reducing poverty and putting countries on 
                path to economic development;
                    (B) adults who were well-nourished as children earn 
                up to 46 percent more than those who were malnourished;
                    (C) countries with a very high burden of early 
                childhood malnutrition have lower economic growth rates 
                due to lost income and productivity; and
                    (D) the cost to nations is substantial with Gross 
                Domestic Product (GDP) losses estimated between 3 to 16 
                percent with overall potential impacts to the global 
                economy as high as $3.5 trillion per year;
            (3) commends United States leadership in helping developing 
        countries meet the nutritional needs of women and children, and 
        supports continued efforts;
            (4) commends United States Agency for International 
        Development's (USAID) recognition that nutrition interventions 
        are among the lifesaving interventions that can have the 
        greatest impact in ending preventable child and maternal 
        deaths;
            (5) recognizes the USAID Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy, 
        the United States Government Global Nutrition Coordination 
        Plan, and the Global Food Security Strategy as platforms 
        through which to help reach global nutrition targets by 2025, 
        as agreed to at the World Health Assembly in 2012;
            (6) recognizes the vision and goals of the Scaling Up 
        Nutrition movement as a global partnership to support country-
        led efforts to improve maternal and child nutrition involving 
        governments, civil society, the United Nations, donors, 
        businesses, and researchers;
            (7) recognizes that progress against global malnutrition 
        must be accelerated using innovative, scaled-up approaches to 
        improve the systems that affect the nutritional status of women 
        and children; and
            (8) calls for transformative efforts across sectors at 
        USAID--
                    (A) to accelerate progress to end maternal and 
                child malnutrition, including through Country 
                Development Cooperation Strategies that align with 
                country's national nutrition plans; and
                    (B) to include improved and clear methods to track 
                nutrition funding and outcomes across all United States 
                Government global nutrition programs, especially those 
                in global health, food security, agriculture, basic 
                education, food assistance, and water, sanitation, and 
                hygiene (WASH).
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