The United Nations (UN) has appointed Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, the President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina and 25 others as global leaders who will champion the fight against global malnutrition.

A statement issued by the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, an initiative of the UN General Secretary, António Guterres said Dangote and others are change makers who have pledged to make sure nutrition remains on top of the agenda.

They are also expected to provide inspiration and direction for the SUN Movement and its mission in eradicating malnutrition across the world.

The movement further revealed that one in three people suffer from malnutrition the world over, with about 149 million girls and boys stunted due to the development.

It emphasized that the job of the global leaders would be to support country-led efforts to scale up nutrition and to deliver a world free from malnutrition by 2030.

“Members of the Lead Group are appointed until July 2021 and include several Vice Presidents of SUN member countries and other leaders from the array of partners engaged in the SUN Movement, civil society, youth coalitions,  international and United Nations organizations, donor agencies, businesses and foundations. 

“At the annual meeting of the Lead Group, to be held on 24 September, the Group will take a decision on the continuation of the SUN Movement into its third phases (2021-2025) and make commitments to achieve its objectives, looking toward the 2020 Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit and the future of the Movement.”

The full list of the new global leaders on malnutrition appointed by the SUN Movement which was launched in 2010 are:

  1. Akinwumi Adesina (President, African Development Bank) – Nigeria 
  2. Manal Al-Alem (Chef) – Jordan
  3. Reem Ebrahim Al-Hashimi (Cabinet Member and Minister of State for International Cooperation) – United Arab Emirates
  4. Mercedes Araoz Fernandez (Vice President of Peru) 
  5. Inger Ashing (CEO, Save the Children International) – Sweden 
  6. Cherrie Atilano (Founder and CEO, Agrea Agricultural Systems International Inc.) – Philippines 
  7. Alicia Barcena Ibarra (Executive Secretary, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) – Mexico 
  8. David Beasley (Executive Director, World Food Programme) – United States
  9. Martin Chungong (Secretary, Inter Parliamentary Union) – Cameroon
  10. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko (Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission) – Angola 
  11. Aliko Dangote (Chairman and CEO, Dangote Group) – Nigeria 
  12. Annette Dixon (Vice President Human Development, World Bank) – New Zealand
  13. Chris Elias (President of Global Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) – USA
  14. Sheggen Fan (Director General, International Food Policy Research Institute) – China
  15. Henrietta H. Fore (Executive Director, UNICEF and Chairperson of the SUN movement Lead Group) – USA
  16. Sophie Healy-Thow (Youth Leader) – Ireland 
  17. Daniel Kablan Duncan (Vice President of Ivory Coast)
  18. Monica Katebe Musonda (Founder and CEO of Java Foods) – Zambia
  19. Jakaya Kikwete (Former Tanzanian President and Founder of Kikwete Foundation)  – Tanzania 
  20. Shinichi Kitaoka (President of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)) – Japan
  21. Maryam Monsef (Canadian Minister of International Development, Women and Gender Equality) – Canada
  22. David Nabarro (Sustainable Development Facilitator, 4SD) – United Kingdom 
  23. Sania Nishtar (Founder and President, Heartfile Foundation) – Pakistan
  24. Inia Seruiratu (Fiji’s Minister of Foreign Affairs) – Fiji 
  25. Feike Sijbesma (CEO, Royal Dutch DSM) – Netherlands
  26. Gunhild Anker Stordalen (Founder and President of EAT Foundation) – Norway 
  27. Gerda Verburg (UN Assistant Secretary-General and Coordinator of the SUN Movement) – Netherlands