USAID’s annual report to Congress on its global health programs breaks down the broad array of initiatives carried out each year “from the American people” to prevent child and maternal deaths, provide safe access to water, combat infectious disease, and deliver HIV/AIDS relief, among other priorities. Maternal and child health are of particular focus, with the agency helping to launch the Child Survival Call to Action, London Summit on Family Planning, and U.S. Government Action Plan on Children in Adversity last year. The authors report significant declines in maternal and newborn mortality rates for priority countries and the establishment of “national contraceptive security strategies” in 36 out of 47 USAID-supported countries since 2003. “All of these efforts align under U.S. goals to end extreme poverty and promote peace and prosperity worldwide, which result in improved security at home and better markets for U.S. businesses abroad,” writes Assistant Administrator Dr. Ariel Pablos-Méndez.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization released their annual State of Food and Agriculture report this year with a heavy focus on malnutrition. “Malnutrition in all forms…imposes unacceptably high economic and social costs on countries of all income levels,” write the authors. They estimate that 12.5 percent of the world’s population is undernourished, costing the global economy $3.5 trillion annually from lost productivity and direct health care costs (although they don’t appear to be using the latest UN population figures, given their approximation of 868 million people). Improving nutrient uptake is not as simple as increasing productivity; addressing global malnutrition “requires integrated action and complementary interventions in agriculture and the food system in general,” write the authors. They recommend a “multi-sectoral approach,” pointing out examples of successful cooperation between ministries of the environment, health, and agricultural; NGOs; and consumer, industry, and women’s groups.