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The first International Conference on Nutrition (ICN) was held in Rome in jointly sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). A World Declaration and Plan of Action for Nutrition was adopted by delegates from 159 countries and the European Community who pledged to eliminate or reduce substantially starvation and famine; widespread chronic hunger; undernutrition, especially among children, women and the aged; micronutrient deficiencies, especially iron, iodine and vitamin A deficiencies; diet-related communicable and non-communicable diseases; impediments to optimal breastfeeding; and inadequate sanitation, poor hygiene and unsafe drinking water.
Twenty years later it is time to review what progress has been made, identify the challenges that remain and the opportunities for improving nutrition that have since arisen. The ICN-2, to be held in 2014, will take advantage of the increased international political attention to nutrition (SUN Movement, REACH, etc.) and ensure the necessary support for action at all levels. The ICN-2 will be a high-level political event and the first global intergovernmental conference devoted solely to addressing the world’s nutrition problems in the 2lst century. Reflecting the multi-sector nature of nutrition, the Conference will bring food, agriculture, health, education, social protection and other sectors together to mobilize the political will and resources necessary for improving nutrition and for reaching consensus around a global multi-sector nutrition framework indicating concrete steps to improve nutrition.