Nutrition financing is under unprecedented pressures in 2025, with critical consequences. As multilateralism continues to be tested, recent crises have exposed a persistent truth: people are still going hungry. In 2024, 150.2 million children under the age of five were either stunted or chronically malnourished, proof of a profound health and development crisis. Wasting remains responsible for up to 20% of deaths in this age group, endangering more than 42 million children. Two major publications, the Global Hunger Index 2025 and the European Court of Auditors (ECA)’s report on the Commission’s support to fight hunger in sub-Saharan Africa, highlight the urgency needed to address these shortcomings – which amount to structural violations of the Right to food.
Through its 2025 N4G pledge (amounting to €3.4 billion for the 2024-2027 period), EU Action Plan for Nutrition and adherence to global and EU policy frameworks (such as the 2030 Agenda), the EU has committed to being a reliable partner. Yet, progress on ending hunger and achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger by 2030 is stagnating. While the EC has made meaningful contributions, namely through significant investments (more than €11 billion between 2014-2024 in Sub-Saharan Africa), the EU can and must do more in combating malnutrition and food insecurity, by ensuring interventions reach vulnerable populations, and in driving long-term sustainability.
Nutrition remains one of the most urgent human development challenges of our time, and requires political will to tackle systemic inequalities to enact real change. In a climate characterised by crisis and uncertainty, the need to address these diverse, complex and interconnected factors is crucial, echoing the GHIs’ recommendations: 1) Acting urgently on hunger and building resilient food systems, 2) Strengthening nation-level political commitment and priotising localised implementation, and 3) Breaking the cycle of conflict of hunger.
Although the ECA report showcased a positive EC-backed project in Zambia, which focused on combating malnutrition through joint action from civil society, government and donors, it identified a key bottleneck in sustainability: the project did not address the root causes of malnutrition. Team Europe Initiatives (TEIs)’s insufficient focus on food systems, security and nutrition were also reported, alongside the lack of an unified monitoring method. As a result, the TEI framework has largely remained theoretical, with limited practical impact on hunger relief.
2026 can be an opportunity for change: Team Europe can continue showcasing its leadership in the fight against malnutrition, by safeguarding the EU’s commitment to nutrition with a concrete, updated Action Plan for Nutrition, as recommended by 2024 Council Conclusions. In its upcoming Communication on Humanitarian Aid, planned for 2026, the EC can include and work to implement the ECA’s recommendations in strengthening the implementation of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. To do so, it must recognise that nutrition crises are often a central and significant component of humanitarian emergencies, closely linked to conflict, displacement, climate shocks and food insecurity. Creating the necessary frameworks to integrate humanitarian and development efforts, such as the preparation of joint context analyses and action plans to improve complementarity, as well as a clear defining of roles and responsibilities ahead will strengthen synergies and increase overall effectiveness.
Finally, as stated by the ECA, the proposal for the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) has shifted towards sustainable and aquatic food systems, but remains unclear in addressing food insecurity and malnutrition. These reports, alongside repeated warnings from civil society are clear: the human, social and economic consequences of inaction are undeniable. Now is the time to prioritise long-term nutrition investments ahead of short-term priorities: the EU and its partners must act now to protect our hard-earned progress and ensure no one is left behind.
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