Ahead of the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit, the APPG’s Co-Chair, David Mundell MP, led a Westminster Hall debate in the House of Commons on the N4G.
Opening the debate, David Mundell MP spoke of the importance of access to good nutrition for health, education, gender equality, and economic advancement and made the case for a strong, ambitious, well-targeted UK commitment and leadership at N4G.
The APPG’s Co-Chair, Steve Race MP, spoke about his visit to mobile outreach centres in Kenya – where he saw the positive impact of nutrition-specific interventions, such as Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) and Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), to help treat and prevent malnutrition in children – and of the importance of the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF).
Jim Shannon MP spoke about the role of churches in combatting malnutrition and the importance of strengthening global partnerships with organisations and other governments to advocate for better nutrition support and move towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on zero hunger and poverty.
Dr Beccy Cooper MP spoke about nutrition as a global growth issue and the need to prioritise nutrition interventions which can make a difference to people’s wellbeing, safety, and security, recognising N4G as an opportunity to work towards long-term nutritional sustainability.
Edward Morello MP outlined the importance of the UK’s continued leadership in tackling malnutrition as well as the strategic risk of stepping back from development aid, noting the opportunity N4G affords to come together and commit sustainable solutions.
Abtisam Mohamed MP outlined how hunger and conflict coexist in a deadly cycle, asking the Minister to commit to protecting nutrition spending in conflict-affected areas such as Sudan. She also spoke to the importance of UK science, noting Sheffield University’s pioneering work on crops.
The APPG’s Vice-Chair and Liberal Democrat spokesperson, Monica Harding MP, outlined how investments in nutrition are low cost and high impact, urging the Government to renew, not step back, on its nutrition-specific funding commitments and play a vital convening role, protecting the UK’s health and nutrition expertise.
APPG Member and Conservative spokesperson, Wendy Morton MP, spoke about the UK’s key role in solving global challenges such as malnutrition – including in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Ukraine – noting the UK’s previous leadership on global action for nutrition and efforts to ensure nutrition is central to the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Responding to the debate, FCDO Minister, Stephen Doughty MP, outlined his Department’s commitment to N4G, including with the Global Compact on Nutrition Integration, to ensure nutrition is integrated across development, and work on scaling-up treatment through the CNF.
You can read the debate in full, here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2025-03-25/debates/D171B9CC-9F97-4973-BDD1-276B188F756A/NutritionForGrowthSummit