NEWS RELEASE
For release on Thursday 11th April 2013
New research shows that some of the poorest developing countries are showing
the greatest political commitment to tackling hunger and undernutrition
According to new research published by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), low income
countries like Malawi and Madagascar and lower middle income Guatemala, are leading the
charge against hunger and undernutrition, whilst economic powerhouses such as India and
Nigeria are failing some of their most vulnerable citizens.
Launched today, the Hunger and Nutrition Commitment Index (HANCI) measures political
commitment to tackling hunger and undernutrition in 45 developing countries. It is the first
global index of its kind showing levels of political commitment to tackle hunger and
undernutrition in terms of appropriate policies, legal frameworks and public spending.
One of the key findings from the first round of results from HANCI is that sustained economic
growth does not guarantee that governments will make tackling hunger or undernutrition a
priority. This may help explain why many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
remain blighted by high levels of hunger and undernutrition.
Globally hunger affects around 870 million people and undernutrition contributes to the deaths
of 2.6 million children under five each year.
Lead HANCI researcher at IDS, Dr Dolf te Lintelo said: “The Hunger and Nutrition
Commitment Index shines a spot light on what governments are doing, or failing to do, towards
addressing hunger and undernutrition. With millions of lives at stake it is essential that we
create greater public accountability on this key development issue. Where high levels of political
commitment exist, we could see dramatic decreases in the levels of illness and death caused
by chronic hunger and to the irreversible damage to the physical and mental development of
children caused by undernutrition. We hope that all those committed to combating hunger and
undernutrition, whether in communities, NGOs or governments, will use HANCI as a rallying call
for change.”
HANCI uniquely analyses government efforts on hunger and undernutrition, rather than just
hunger and undernutrition levels themselves. Hunger and undernutrition are not the same thing
and the policies and programmes needed to address them differ. Hunger is the result of an
empty stomach whereas undernutrition may result from a lack of nutrients in people’s diets or
illness caused by poor sanitation. So governments may support measures to improve sanitation
to improve nutrition levels amongst children but this does little to reduce hunger. Likewise,
emergency food aid may reduce hunger but it is not aimed at achieving balanced diets. The
new index therefore measures performance on hunger and nutrition separately. It compares 45
countries’ performance on a total of 22 indicators of political commitment to reduce either
hunger or undernutrition. These indicators span three areas of government: Policies and
programmes designed to tackle undernutrition or hunger; legal frameworks, such as people’s
rights to food and social security; and levels of public spending on agriculture and health.
In phase two, HANCI will provide data on the political commitment to tackle undernutrition and
hunger in developing countries of donor governments such as the UK and Ireland.
Key findings from HANCI for 2012
Guatemala has claimed the top spot performing best for both hunger and nutrition
commitment. Guinea Bissau is the worst performing country.
Whilst much remains to be done and Guatemala continues to have one of the world’s highest
child stunting rates (48%), hunger and nutrition outcomes in Guatemala are gradually improving
thanks to substantial political commitment and government action. They have improved access
to safe drinking water, ensured good levels of sanitation and put in place a Zero Hunger Plan
aimed at reducing chronic malnutrition in children under 5 years old. Conversely Guinea Bissau
shows the lowest level of political commitment out of all 45 countries with a failure to invest in
agriculture or set aside budgets for nutrition services.
Economic growth has not necessarily led to a commitment from governments to tackle
hunger and undernutrition.
Despite the fact that many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have achieved
substantial and sustained economic growth over the last decade, the prevalence of hunger and
undernutrition remains high. To effectively tackle hunger and undernutrition, the poor must
benefit from growth and governments need to use additional available resources for public
goods and services that will benefit the poor and hungry.
Low wealth or slow economic growth in a country does not necessarily imply low levels
of political commitment.
The data shows that in cases where there are serious hunger and nutrition challenges, low
aggregate and per capita wealth in a country does not mean that governments are simply
unable to act on these. For instance, in Africa, several smaller economic powers (Malawi,
Madagascar, The Gambia) are now leading the charge against hunger and undernutrition,
leaving traditional African powerhouses (South Africa, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Angola) in their
wake.
To view the full HANCI data and download the report please visit www.hancindex.org.
ENDS.
For further information on this story, for a copy of the report, or to request an interview,
please contact Ya’el Azgad on 01273 915876, [email protected] or call 07713 110579.
Notes to Editors
1.
HANCI has been produced by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) with funding from Irish Aid and the UK’s
Department for International Development (DFID).
2.
Hunger and undernutrition are not the same thing and HANCI measures these separately. Hunger is the result of
an empty stomach, and caused by people having insufficient income or social and economic entitlements to access food.
Hunger makes people more susceptible to disease and thus leads to increased illness and death. Hunger strongly
undermines development. To ‘cope’ with hunger families can be forced to sell vital assets, such as farming tools, often
perpetuating their vulnerability to hunger.
Undernutrition results from both a critical lack of nutrients in people’s diets and a weakened immune system. In a vicious
cycle, poor nutritional intake can make people more susceptible to infectious diseases whilst exposure to disease can
lower people’s appetite and nutrient absorption. Undernutrition in the first 1000 days of a child’s life (from conception until
the age of two) has lifelong and largely irreversible impacts because it impairs a child’s physical and mental development.
3.
The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) is a leading global charity for international development research, teaching
and communications. Our vision is a world in which poverty does not exist, social justice prevails and economic growth is
focused on improving human wellbeing. We believe that research knowledge can drive the change that must happen in
order for this vision to be realised.