1,000 Days to Change the Future Event Highlights Importance of Nutrition

On May 21, on the margins of the NATO Summit in Chicago, 1,000 Days hosted a nutrition summit titled, “1,000 Days to Change the Future: Making Malnutrition History.”

The event, including remarks by Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy at NATO, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, brought representatives of civil society, the private sector, international organizations, and the U.S. Government together to discuss approaches to nutrition and food security problems faced domestically and internationally. Speakers made the case that ending mal- and under-nutrition in the United States and in developing countries will require individual education, government support for agricultural development, and private sector investment. 

Speakers included Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, who noted that improving nutrition both domestically and internationally is not an either/or situation—both efforts must occur simultaneously. Secretary Clinton delivered a video address noting that prosperity and security rest on a solid foundation of food security and nutrition. 

Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel highlighted efforts to end “food deserts” in Chicago and work with many city- and nation-wide food assistance programs to ensure that everyone, especially the most vulnerable individuals and families, have access to adequate nutrition.