World Bank to Beef up Support for Global Nutrition Program
Xinhua News Agency, June 17, 2013 Adjust font size:
The World Bank said Thursday it would scale up its support for global nutrition programs in response to food price volatility and other crises.
The Washington-based global institution said in a statement it would nearly triple direct financing for maternal and early childhood nutrition programs in developing countries in 2013 and 2014, to US$600 million, up from 230 million dollars in 2011 and 2012.
About 90 percent, or 540 million dollars, of the funding will come from the International Development Association (IDA), the Bank's fund for the poorest countries.
The projected increase is in addition to nutrition-sensitive investments the World Bank is making in other sectors beyond health, such as agriculture, education, social protection, and water and sanitation, according to the statement.
During the past decade, the IDA helped at least 52 million vulnerable mothers and young children receive life-saving and life-changing nutrition services, the bank said.
