51ÔÚÏß

The 2026 Global Nutrition Report finds that converging crisis conditions require coordinated, climate-resilient food and health systems to protect nutrition. A new analytical framework supports development of coherent, accountable action under real-world constraints.

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- As climate change, health shocks, political conflict and drastic reductions in aid converge, 2.6 billion people remain unable to afford a healthy diet. Beyond the human toll, there is measurable return on investment: for every dollar invested in addressing this nutrition crisis, a return of US$23 is expected. The , launched on 28 May at Rome Nutrition Week, finds that the intentional harmonisation of food and health systems in the face of climate and other crises are needed to protect the nutrition of the world's most vulnerable. The expert-led report introduces a new practical framework to help policymakers and practitioners align for realistic delivery amidst funding constraints.

The report has received an unprecedented number of endorsements, including Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization; Baroness Jennifer Chapman, Minister for Development and Africa, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, United Kingdom; Honourable Randeep Sarai, Secretary of State (International Development), Canada; and the Honourable Neema Lugangira, Co-Chair, Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Executive Committee and Former Member of Parliament Tanzania.

"Catastrophic humanitarian effects of wars, climate events and pandemics show us that food and health systems are deeply interconnected. The challenge is turning that awareness into coordinated action that protects nutrition under real-world pressures," says Dr Shibani Ghosh, Associate Professor, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, USA and Co-chair of the Global Nutrition Report's Independent Expert Group (IEG). "The goal of the 2026 Global Nutrition Report is to provide an evidence-based foundation for intentional integration and practical ways to navigate trade-offs to ensure everyone has access to a healthy diet."

COMPOUNDING PRESSURES REQUIRE INTEGRATED, PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS

The report draws on extensive research and analysis of 1,400 registered Nutrition for Growth (N4G) commitments to identify four findings:

• Intentional integration builds resilience. A review of responses to Covid-19, conflict and climate emergencies found that countries with pre-existing integrated platforms, such as school meals, cash transfers and community health services, responded faster and protected nutrition more effectively than those building new systems under pressure.
• Promising food systems strategies must be designed for synergies and trade-offs. The report argues real-world constraints must be deliberately balanced in each policy choice. For example, shifts toward plant-based diets have proven health benefits and lower climate costs, but can risk micronutrient deficiencies in vulnerable groups unless paired with balanced health system action.
• Gender equity across nutrition commitments requires more transformation. Of 631 commitments analysed from the 2025 Paris N4G Summit, 70% showed no connection to gender and only 2% were classified as gender transformative, despite strong evidence that, even in crisis conditions, women's access to resources improves nutrition outcomes.
• Commitments need to evolve to make real-world impact. More than half of existing government commitments met high standards, but few had secured financing and only 8% included monitoring of existing food systems frameworks. The report finds that future commitments must go further by securing financing, strengthening integration and monitoring and explicitly addressing gender equity.

"A 'business as usual' approach with siloed systems is costly, ineffective and risks lives, especially for the most vulnerable. Nutrition must be embedded at the centre of climate policy, health reform and food system transformation," states Irshad Danish, Chair of the SUN Civil Society Network and Co-chair of the Stakeholder Group of the Global Nutrition Report. "The report provides clear evidence on the state of global nutrition, as well as practical ways to strengthen resilience in a world of converging crises."

NEW FRAMEWORK SUPPORTS CLIMATE-AWARE NUTRITION ACTION

The 2026 Global Nutrition Report introduces the Food and Health Systems for Equitable Nutrition (FHEN) Framework, a new tool to support the design of integrated food and health system action under climate change. Rather than replacing existing frameworks, it bridges food and health systems under climate stress and other shocks—making explicit where action in one system depends on the other, what enabling conditions are required and where trade-offs must be navigated.

The framework is oriented toward achieving three interconnected outcomes: environmental soundness and resilience, social equity and gender empowerment and economic prosperity. To achieve these goals, the framework identifies four enabling functions that determine whether integrated action can be delivered and sustained. Future commitments must factor in leadership and governance, financing, operational capacity and research and monitoring.

"Integration does not happen by default. It requires intentionality, political commitment and the willingness to navigate trade-offs openly," says Dr Giacomo Zanello, Professor of Food Economics and Health at University of Reading, UK and Co-chair of the IEG. "This new framework is designed to support stakeholders as they work to centre nutrition across systems to accelerate transformation and achieve our shared goal of healthy diets for all."

MEDIA CONTACT

See our for more information. For media enquiries, including interview requests with authors and experts of the report, please contact: [email protected].

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, United Nations Children's Fund, World Food Programme, World Health Organization. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025: Addressing high food price inflation for food security and nutrition. Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2025. DOI:10.4060/cd6008en.

Shekar M, Shibata Okamura K, Vilar-Compte M, Dell'Aira C. Investment Framework for Nutrition 2024: Human Development Perspectives Overview Booklet. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024. DOI:10.1596/42164.

Media Contact

Media Team, Global Nutrition Report, 1 (202) 822-0033, [email protected],

SOURCE Global Nutrition Report