Our Challenge and Our Commitment

In 2004, UNICEF and MI together launched a global progress report on Vitamin and Mineral Deficiency (VMD) – or “ hidden hunger .” This laid out both progress and the worldwide challenge we still face:

• Millions of children die unnecessarily every year from illnesses such as measles and diarrhea. Many lack the vitamins and minerals that can improve their resistance to disease.

• Malnutrition, including vitamin and mineral deficiency, underlies over 50% of these child deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

• 40-60% of young children in developing nations suffer from iron deficiency in early childhood that disrupts their cognitive development significantly and irreversibly, diminishing their school performance and hindering their physical development.

• Every year 43 million babies are born with inadequate protection from mental impairment caused by iodine deficiency. Where iodine deficiency is prevalent, the average mental acuity of children can be reduced by up to 10 to 15 percentage points.

• In Asia and Africa , severe anemia claims the lives of an estimated 60,000 women in pregnancy and childbirth every year.

Vitamin and mineral deficiency compromises the economic development of most developing nations, causing the preventable loss of up to 2% of their gross domestic product. Yet behind these numbers, there is renewed hope and optimism. Unique partnerships of governments, private companies and civil society are working together to scale up the best ways of tackling VMD, and to reach more vulnerable and disadvantaged populations.

Our commitment is to stimulate and support national actions to eliminate micronutrient malnutrition, assuring universal coverage and sustained impact on people’s health and well-being.