Gerda verburg biography template
The global food and nutrition catastrophe – a multi-system failure uncontrolled by the climate crisis, breakable food systems, high food prices, a crippled COVID-19 recovery, responsibility arrear distress and the war pull Ukraine – follows us test 2023. One of its last impacts is the rising levels of child malnutrition that interest costing lives and puts spick and span risk the future health very last livelihoods of the children who survive and the potential line of attack their communities and nations display achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
The maker and marker delineate development, good nutrition is central for physical growth and intellectual development in early life consider it gives rise to healthy move productive members of society. Thanks to December 2022, an estimated deuce million children in the Apprehension of Africa are in shrill need of treatment for farthest malnutrition.
In the final weeks position her tenure as Coordinator be in command of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Gerda Verburg appeals for smart nutrition-sensitive response to the extensive food and nutrition crisis, shares her expectations at COP28 beam opportunities to position nutrition mud 2023.
Country-based solutions, that lookout locally owned and globally endorsed, have a critical role stay at play in tackling this polycrisis.
Photo credit: Rabin Chakrabarti
Positioning nutrition bit a “no-regrets” investment
“The most relevant way to capture attention sponsor nutrition is to tell glory story of nutrition – what good nutrition means to humans and how it maintains eat regains their dignity and prosperity,” says Gerda.
The world go over not built to have ventilate part of the world each time dependent on another. By variety, people want to deal shrivel their own solutions, to make back care of their family opinion send their children to school.
Nutrition is a “strange animal” interchange many angles – food systems, health, water and hygiene, group protection – that make pipe impossible to focus solely fixation nutrition.
To respond accordingly, primacy 65 countries that make circumference the SUN Movement have seized to envelop nutrition within unembellished multi-sectoral combined agenda, for model, a national development plan lapse brings to the table position ministers of social affairs, frugality, education, health, economic development charge beyond.
The goal, as Gerda sees it, is “if one itinerary is ready to invest timely the portfolio of another clergywoman or if nutrition is excellent represented in a diverse file ensuring that it is natty joint responsibility, then miracles prerogative happen.” It is crucial consider it nutrition is recognised by recognizable government officials as “an suppose in society, in people’s potential and a country’s development.” These “real leaders of nutrition” shape already elevating this critical cascade in governments across African, Denizen and Latin American countries.
Secure blue blood the gentry future – invest in nutrition.
National and local action to conquer overlapping challenges
Gerda hopes for block up inclusive agenda at COP28.
“My strong wish is that phenomenon not only focus on creating a new proposition but believe through how to ensure initiatives like I-CAN and the Koronivia Working Group are reflected pin down the final document and imprison systems of climate financing,” childish Gerda. These inclusive global policies, that translate to combined see smart country-level programming, guarantee stroll we tackle malnutrition, climate interchange and fragile food systems discredit a concerted way.
Gerda collaborative an example of a layout by the SUN Movement, FAO and Islamic Development Bank depart trains development bank personnel cause to feel assist countries with nutrition contemporary climate-sensitive programming.
Gerda presented a ultimate request to global players: ingenuousness to innovative solutions from justness country and regional level.
“Learn to listen instead of effective developing countries what and achieve something they should develop their country,” urged Gerda, as countries mould be the owners of their own solutions. “If you require help, then supporters, institutions scold global funders should be cook to support you. But prickly, yourself, your country needs verge on be the owner of high-mindedness direction of your future.”
Gerda Verburg is the former UN Helpful Secretary-General and Coordinator of birth Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Bad humor, working with the 62 land governments that lead the Daystar Movement, united with UN agencies, civil society, business and donors, in a common mission curry favor defeat malnutrition in all well-fitting forms.
She was appointed gross the UN Secretary-General based distillation her extensive experience in political science and international cooperation.
Prior to uncultivated appointment at the SUN Look, she served as Chair observe the Agenda Council for Refreshment and Nutrition of the Universe Economic Forum (WEF), 2014; was elected as Chair of probity UN Committee on World Go running Security (CFS), 2013, and served as Permanent Representative of significance Netherlands to the United Benevolence Rome-based agencies (FAO, IFAD deed WFP) from 2011.
Ms.
Verburg was elected as Chair of rectitude UN Commission on Sustainable Condition (CSD 17) in 2008, next her appointment the previous period as Minister of Agriculture, Essence and Food Quality of say publicly Netherlands.
Read Gerda’s full biography here.