WASHINGTON, June 27,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A broad coalition of global food
security leaders, nutrition advocates, former senior government
officials, national security leaders, farmers, suppliers, and
producers have issued the following statement regarding increased
funding for global programs to combat severe child malnutrition in
the House FY2025 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations
bill:
We applaud the House Appropriations Committee, and State Foreign
Operations Subcommittee Chairman Mario
Diaz-Balart (R-FL), for their strong support of the highest
impact child malnutrition prevention and treatment interventions in
the FY2025 State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS) appropriations
bill. Building on the funding increase for the Global Health
Programs Nutrition Sub-Account and the new funding directive for
Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) included in the FY24 House
SFOPS bill, the FY25 House SFOPS bill provides $300 million to enable the continued scale-up of
child wasting treatment.
We also thank the more than 30 bipartisan Members of Congress
who signed this year's global nutrition and RUTF appropriations
letter, led by Reps. Austin Scott
(R-GA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Young Kim (R-CA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). This letter calls for
increased funding for RUTF procurement and delivery, as well as
continued investments in the most cost effective malnutrition
prevention interventions. By prioritizing new funding for proven,
cost-effective nutrition products like RUTF, Congress is
recognizing the power of U.S. leadership to save lives from the
deadliest form of malnutrition.
Because of the catalytic leadership and foresight from Congress
and USAID, the number of severely wasted children who have access
to RUTF has climbed from 5.4 million children in 2021 to 9.3
million children in 2023, the highest coverage levels ever
attained. However, that historic progress is not guaranteed to
continue. We urge the Senate Appropriations Committee to preserve
investment in RUTF and the highest impact child malnutrition
prevention interventions in its SFOPS bill to help USAID maintain
its unprecedented response to child malnutrition.
Quote from William Moore,
Chairman of the Malnutrition Advocacy Fund
"From iodized salt, to immunization, to mosquito nets, many of the
world's most notable global health advances have been achieved by
visionary leaders breaking through the status quo to scale
game-changing solutions. By designating a new source of U.S.
investment for RUTF, House leaders are providing USAID with the
resources to deliver continued impact, moving us all an important
step closer to the next chapter in the child survival
revolution."
Quote from Retired General Jim
Jones (Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander,
U.S. Marine Corps Commandant and National Security Advisor to the
President) "U.S. leadership combating severe child malnutrition is
not only a moral and humanitarian imperative, but it is crucial to
international security and stability and ultimately, to U.S.
national and allied security, by relieving dire conditions that
contribute to mass migration and political unrest exploitable by
transboundary criminal and terrorist organizations."
Quote from Retired General Kip
Ward (Inaugural AFRICOM Commander; European Command Deputy
Commander; Commander of Stabilization Force Bosnia; Security
Coordinator to the Israel -
Palestinian Authority)
"Over the course of my forty-year career in the U.S. Army, I held
several command assignments overseas where I bore witness
first-hand to the havoc that food insecurity and malnutrition can
wage on vulnerable populations. The delivery of life-saving
nutrition packets stamped with the American flag is one of the most
powerful indicators of our good will and humanity and one of the
most effective ways to promote American values and to build new and
enduring alliances across the globe."
Quote from Former USDA Secretary and Congressman Dan Glickman
"Ever since the creation of Food for Peace by President Eisenhower
and the US Congress in the 1950's, the ingenuity and hard-work of
American farmers has been a huge force for good in feeding the
world and fighting hunger where it is most acute. Within the
context of historic spikes in global food insecurity over the last
several years, there is great hope in the progress that is being
achieved to end the needless deaths of millions of children who
suffer from wasting. We have a cost-effective solution that
is being made through a partnership between American farmers and
non-profit RUTF manufacturers, and we have leaders from both
parties in Congress and the Executive Branch that are making bold
commitments to tackle this most fundamental of challenges.
This is the best type of American leadership, which reminds our
international partners and those in greatest need of our nation's
ability to solve big problems, and of our enduring values and
compassion."
Quote from Ambassador Ertharin Cousin (Former World Programme
Executive Director and Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Agencies for Food and Agriculture) "At a time when the World Food
Programme, UNICEF and other leading international humanitarian
organizations are stretched so thin, it is heartening to see
continued bipartisan leadership and support in the U.S. Congress
for tackling the challenge of global child malnutrition, which
still robs our global community of nearly 3 million child lives per
year. I commend the action in the House to scale up resources
for RUTF and other highly-effective malnutrition prevention and
treatment interventions."
Quote from Former Congressman Ted
Yoho, DVM (Co-Chair, Consensus for Development Reform;
Former Co-Chair, Congressional Caucus on Effective Foreign
Assistance)
"Maintaining strong U.S. global leadership in an environment of
rising fiscal pressures and intense global competition requires
increased scrutiny of our investments in all tools of foreign
policy and national security. Effective foreign aid is a
critical tool of U.S. soft diplomacy, and RUTF is a shining example
of the best type of foreign assistance that maximizes
cost-effectiveness and lives saved, while also promoting brand
America overseas."
Quote from Joe Boddiford, U.S.
Peanut Federation Board of Directors
"I thank the House appropriators who have joined the chorus of
diverse stakeholders who know that RUTF is a critical tool in the
long fight to end the devastating crisis of child malnutrition, and
it should be available to all children who need it. As an American
farmer, I am proud to know that a portion of my crop will ensure
that more of the world's children will survive this
life-threatening condition, and that U.S. farmers can help advance
our nation's efforts to end child malnutrition."
Quote from Krysta Harden,
President and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council
"We are deeply appreciative of Congress's increased funding for
Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods. This increased investment
underscores the essential role that nutrient-rich dairy ingredients
play in fighting malnutrition globally. By supporting these vital
nutrition packages, Congress not only helps improve health outcomes
for the most vulnerable populations but also strengthens the
contributions of the U.S. dairy industry to global food
security."
Quote from Gregg Doud, President
and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation
"NMPF thanks Chairman Díaz-Balart for prioritizing funding for
Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods to address global child
malnutrition. RUTF incorporates nutrient-dense dairy products that
play a crucial role in combating the worst forms of food insecurity
around the world. We look forward to moving this important
legislation forward into law."
About RUTF: Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) is a
lifesaving, medical-grade paste that nourishes children suffering
from the most severe form of malnutrition back to health in a
matter of weeks. With a cost of approximately $1 per day, RUTF offers a recovery rate of up to
90 percent. Much of the world's RUTF is produced in the United States with ingredients (peanuts,
dairy, soy, sugar, and micronutrients) and production materials
sourced from 28 states.
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SOURCE Malnutrition Advocacy Fund