Topic: 2026 – Combating Malnutrition
Country: United Kingdom
Delegate Name: Vivian Brodie
Committee: UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund)
Topic A: Combating Malnutrition
State: United Kingdom
Delegate: Vivian Brodie
School: Grand Haven High School
Child malnutrition is an issue that affects hundreds of millions of children around the world. This issue stunts and restricts youth from becoming the best version of themselves. The United Kingdom has recently been struggling with combating malnutrition in its youth population. Current data shows that 10% of children living within the United Kingdom are experiencing severe malnutrition (Cowen-Hall). This increase in malnutrition among children has contributed to the overall decline in children’s health across the United Kingdom. This increase in malnutrition is due to high poverty rates and the rise of overly processed and unnutritious foods. The United Kingdom has been implementing programs to make healthy food more accessible and to increase education on a healthy lifestyle. However, due to gradual cuts in aid budgets, the rate of child malnutrition is still increasing. The United Kingdom’s goal is to reduce the rates of child malnutrition around the world.
Child malnutrition, including obesity, undernutrition, and specific nutrient deficiencies, is a global problem. It is estimated that 45% of deaths in children under 5 are caused by undernutrition (Vassilakou). The United Kingdom believes this percentage needs to be reduced quickly. Malnutrition has a variety of causes, including limited availability of food, limited availability of nutrient-dense food, poverty, limited access to health care, and limited access to health education. The UN recently released the “Implementation of the United Nations Decade of Action on Malnutrition”. This resolution recognizes that many countries are behind in progress to eliminate malnutrition in both children and adults, and it recognizes that the rates of malnutrition are rising (General Assembly). This rise in malnutrition is devastating, and the United Kingdom feels that something must be done.
The issue of malnutrition is a broad topic with many angles, but the solutions that the UK suggests are providing education on what a healthy body needs, focusing on providing nutrient-dense food to pregnant women and young children, family farming, and government programs providing food. The United Kingdom feels that for their people, providing education, focusing on pregnant women and small children, and having government programs will be most effective. This is because this plan directly targets those most at risk and connects them to systems that can provide nutrient-dense food. Currently, the UK is shifting from focusing on providing school children with meals to providing for younger children who are more susceptible. “We must shift our attention to the early years and pregnancy. While we have been trying to improve the diets of school-age children, we have neglected the science, which shows that we must act much earlier to deliver the best nutrition and economic returns, and to break inter-generational cycles of inequality” (International). The United Kingdom is also investing in government programs such as the Healthy Start Scheme and the Free Lunch program to help reduce malnutrition caused by poverty.
The United Kingdom feels that to improve child malnutrition, a focus on pregnant women and young children, along with government programs supplying food are most crucial. As mentioned above, the UK has implemented a variety of programs and aid systems to act on these points. The United Kingdom believes that to implement this plan, wealthier countries like the UK will need to fund less wealthy countries. Although it may seem like a burden on the wealthy countries, they are actually benefited by the investment, “Investing in nutrition is smart economics, with every dollar spent generating high returns in terms of healthier populations, better qualified workforce, and stronger earning potential” (Investing). Investing in ending child malnutrition is not only important for improving the lives of so many, but it also boosts the economy and therefore benefits all countries.
Work Cited
Cowan-Hall, Paige. “Addressing Child Malnutrition in the UK: A Growing Crisis – C3 Collaborating for Health.” C3 Collaborating for Health, 8 Oct. 2024, www.c3health.org/addressing-child-malnutrition-in-the-uk-a-growing-crisis/.
“General Assembly Unanimously Adopts Resolution Highlighting Decade of Action on Nutrition | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases.” Un.org, 24 July 2018, press.un.org/en/2018/ga12042.doc.htm.
International Learning Series 1 / Global / 1 UK and Global Malnutrition: The New Normal UK and Global Malnutrition: The New Normal International Learning Series / 1 Published. 2017.
“Investing in Nutrition Is Smart Economics.” World Bank Blogs, 2025, blogs.worldbank.org/en/voices/investing-in-nutrition-is-smart-economics.
Vassilakou, Tonia. “Childhood Malnutrition: Time for Action.” Children, vol. 8, no. 2, 3 Feb. 2021, p. 103, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7913494/, https://doi.org/10.3390/children8020103.
