INTERNATIONAL
SINGER-SONGWRITER YVONNE CHAKA CHAKA JOINS GLOBAL
HEALTH LEADERS IN CALL TO END MALNUTRITION
Gains Alliance
September 24, 2015
South African performer joins an unprecedented group
of eminent thought-leaders in New York City to
deliver powerful call to action to reduce
malnutrition and achieve the SDGs
24 September 2015,New York City: Internationally
recognised South African singer, song writer and
performer Yvonne Chaka Chaka has delivered a
powerful call to action to governments, civil
society and the private sector to use and develop
new and innovative partnerships to address
malnutrition globally, and achieve the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).
Delivering the closing remarks at a high-level
‘Harnessing the power of multi-stakeholder
partnerships to achieve the Sustainable Development
Goals in food and nutrition security’ panel
discussion, hosted by the Global Alliance for
Improved Nutrition (GAIN), the Scaling Up Nutrition
(SUN) Business Network and Devex, Chaka Chaka said
“We have the knowledge and the skills to address
malnutrition, but let us not forget those people who
cannot speak for themselves, who are hungry and
malnourished. We need to do what is right and we
need to work together in partnership. We have chosen
this path. Let us not turnaround.”
The panel event, hosted in New York City on the eve
of the United Nations 70th General Assembly, brought
together a unique group of twelve eminent
thought-leaders from government, civil society and
the private sector to explore the critical role of
multi-stakeholder partnership in the post -2015
agenda, in front of an invited audience of 200
experts and media, and a global audience watching
via online live stream.
Currently, over 3.5 billion people globally are
malnourished, including over 2 billion people
suffering from micronutrient deficiencies, otherwise
known as ‘hidden hunger’. With the UN Summit on the
Adoption of the Post 2015 Development Agenda due to
announce the new SDGs this week including
highlighting the importance of ending malnutrition,
and following September’s first ever Global Summit
on Food Fortification in Tanzania, which called for
more investment in partnerships to address hidden
hunger, panellists explored the critical role of
multi-stakeholder partnerships in ending hunger,
achieving food security and improving nutrition.
Closing the event in partnership with Chaka Chaka,
Jay Naidoo, Chair of the Board of Directors, Global
Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) added
“Eradicating hunger must be the next stage in our
civilisation. We are a generation that has the tools
to solve the problem of malnutrition, and working
together in partnership is one of our strongest
tools.”
Featured panellists at the event included Ertharin
Cousin, Executive Director, UN World Food Programme;
Feike Sijbesma, Chief Executive Officer, Royal DSM &
Co-Chair SBN Advisory Group; Michelle Nunn, CEO and
President, Care USA ; Nancy Stetson, Special
Representative for Global Food Security, US State
Department; Michael Anderson, CEO of Children’s
Investment Fund Foundation; Shawn Baker, Director of
Nutrition, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Marc Van
Ameringen, Executive Director, Global Alliance for
Improved Nutrition (GAIN); Monica Musonda, Founder
and CEO, Java Foods; Bjorn Lomberg, Director,
Copenhagen Consensus and Shenggen Fan, Director
General, International Food Policy and Research
Institute (IFPRI).
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About GAIN
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is
an international organization that was launched at
the UN in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused
by malnutrition. We act as a catalyst — building
alliances between governments, business and civil
society — to find and deliver solutions to the
complex problem of malnutrition. Our work to fortify
staple foods and condiments with essential
micronutrients reaches more than 30 countries and
892 million people worldwide. Today we are on track
to reach over a billion people with improved
nutrition by the end of 2015. By building alliances
that deliver impact at scale, we believe that we can
eliminate malnutrition within our lifetimes. For
more information, visit www.gainhealth.org or follow
GAIN on Twitter @GAINAlliance
For more information, contact GAIN Communications
Email: communications@gainhealth.org
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