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	Over 50 organisations have signed the Call to Action to end malnutrition by Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN Movement), agencies   As the world embarks on the new era of sustainable development with actions towards ending poverty in its multiple dimensions, leadership is urgently needed to prioritize investments in nutrition.   Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that our governments have adopted requires a much stronger focus on ensuring that all people – but especially women and children – have the nutrition they need to thrive.   We call on you to use the Nutrition for Growth summit on the occasion of the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics to increase investments directed toward ending malnutrition in all its forms and achieving the internationally agreed-upon World Health Assembly targets to improve maternal, infant and young child nutrition.   Every country in the world is affected by one or more forms of malnutrition as manifested in high rates of under-nutrition, obesity or micronutrient deficiencies.   It is young children who are most harmed by malnutrition. Nearly half of deaths of children under age five are due to malnutrition, and over one quarter of those are due to sub-optimal breastfeeding.   Meanwhile, an estimated 159 million children under age five are developmentally stunted as a result of chronic undernourishment with at least another 50 million suffering the ravages of acute malnutrition.   And increasingly, obesity is robbing children of their future health and well-being—in the next decade, it is estimated that over 70 million infants and young children will be affected by overweight and obesity, the vast majority of them living in Low – and Middle – Income Countries.   All of these malnourished children represent a staggering loss of human and economic potential.   By contrast, greater investment in nutrition can save lives, unlock enormous gains in health and human capital, and boost a country’s GDP by as much as 12%.   The returns on investments in nutrition are among some of the highest in global development according to several of the world’s leading economists who have consistently argued that policymakers should prioritize spending on improving infant and young child nutrition.   Yet despite the strong evidence of the importance and cost-effectiveness of investing in nutrition, current spending in this area is minimal. Countries are spending less than 1% of their budgets on nutrition and funding for efforts that directly impact nutrition outcomes likewise accounts for less than 1% of official development assistance.   This is why we need much greater leadership to mobilize additional financing for nutrition and ensure strong accountability for improvements in the nutritional well-being of all people.   The 2016 Nutrition for Growth summit provides a historic opportunity to shift the world onto a path that promotes greater health and prosperity for all by adopting policies and adequately financing the elimination of malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. This must be our legacy. We stand ready to support you, so that together we can create a healthier and brighter future for the next generation of children.   http://scalingupnutrition.org/news/over-50-organisations-have-signed-the-call-to-action-to-end-malnutrition http://www.thousanddays.org/a-call-to-action-on-malnutrition Visit the related web page
	Saudi blogger awarded Sakharov human rights prize by Sakharov human rights network, agencies Saudi Arabia   Dec. 2015 (AFP)   The wife of jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi has accepted the European Parliament''s prestigious Sakharov human rights prize on his behalf, urging Arab countries to reject theocratic diktats and tolerate differing views.   Ensaf Haidar told the packed assembly that her husband, sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison for insulting Islam, believed "freedom of expression is like the air that we breathe."   "It would have been nice if my husband could have received the prize personally," Ms Haidar said as his award was placed on an empty chair.   EU Parliament head Martin Schulz called on Saudi King Salman "to grant mercy to Raif Badawi and without further ado release him and allow him to return to his family."   Ms Haidar entered parliament in Strasbourg to sustained applause, carrying a framed photograph of her husband and calling for a minute''s silence to mark the victims of last month''s deadly jihadist attacks in Paris.   Badawi, 31, was arrested in 2012 and his initial public flogging of 50 lashes in January sparked an international outcry against Saudi Arabia and its human rights record.   He co-founded the Saudi Liberal Network internet discussion group which promoted free speech and sought an end to the influence of religious leaders on public life in one of the world''s most conservative countries.   The Saudi Government ordered the network to be closed down in mid 2014.   Ms Haidar said progress depended on a country allowing freedom of thought, urging Arab rulers to embrace the future instead of clamping down.   "An intellectual in an Arab country has always had to beat about the bush to get his message across," she said, speaking in Arabic. "In some, their views are considered blasphemy, decadent.   "In the Arab world under the yoke of theocratic regimes they call on citizens to nod and accept everything religious leaders tell them."   The Sakharov human rights prize is awarded every year to honour individuals who combat intolerance, fanaticism and oppression.   Past winners include Pakistani education campaigner Malala Yousafzai, late South African rights icon Nelson Mandela and Myanmar activist Aung San Suu Kyi.   http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/20151023STO99024/European-Parliament-awards-Sakharov-Prize-to-Raif-Badawi http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sakharovprize/en/laureates.html http://www.hrw.org/news/2016/07/16/saudi-arabia-male-guardianship-boxes-women http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/saudi-arabia-uncovered/
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