Strengthening EU Commitments: Generation Nutrition’s Response to the EU Pledge at N4G

On March 27-28, 2025, France hosted the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit – a global gathering aimed at driving bold political and financial commitments to end malnutrition in all its forms.

The event convened a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, international organizations, philanthropies, civil society, academia, and the private sector. This document presents the Generation Nutrition coalition’s response to the European Union’s pledges at N4G 2025 – including analysis, reactions, and key recommendations.

Generation Nutrition commends the European Union’s strong engagement in the Summit, including the high-level participation of Commissioner Lahbib, the European Commission’s investment in co-organizing the Village of Solutions, and the European Parliament’s DEVE committee for its active involvement in the summit and co-organization of a side event on sustaining action in nutrition crises. 

The Summit took place at a critical moment when global development assistance for nutrition has stagnated since 2020. Funding for key areas such as stunting, anemia, and exclusive breastfeeding has declined, while EU Member States have reduced their overall Official Development Assistance (ODA) budgets. Global funding cuts are projected to leave 2.3 million children without life-saving nutrition treatment, resulting in a potential 60% mortality rate and an estimated 369,000 additional child deaths per year, and will exacerbate the already alarming nutrition crisis in adolescent girls and women. Notably, last year’s mid-term review of the Multiannual Financial Framework saw the EU cut its development funding by 7.5%, redirecting €2 billion toward support for Syrian refugees and migration management. Meanwhile, the abrupt suspension of U.S. aid has put global nutrition, food security, healthcare, and emergency response efforts at risk. 

Although ODA is not the sole financial mechanism needed to combat malnutrition, it remains a crucial resource, particularly effective when targeted at the most urgent needs and vulnerable people. The recent geopolitical shifts and aid reductions threaten to undermine hard-won progress, making it imperative to prioritize ODA investments in nutrition for impactful outcomes.  

As an additional positive step, the recently adopted United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution extending the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (originally 2016–2025) to 2030 helps maintain political momentum. Similarly, the upcoming extension of the 2025 World Health Assembly (WHA) nutrition targets will further sustain global efforts. 

In this context, Team Europe’s pledge of €6.5 billion, including the European Commission’s €3.4 billion contribution for 2024–2027, is a truly welcome commitment. By reinforcing its leadership in the fight against malnutrition, Team Europe is building on past efforts, as highlighted in the Team Europe Compendium of External Nutrition Action, Many Pieces, One Goal. 

What Remains to Be Clarified 

As we move beyond the energy and optimism of the summit, it is crucial that the EU provides clarity on the details of its pledge to ensure accountability and quality impact. Specifically, we urge the European Commission and Member States to clarify the following: 

• Timeline of Funding Disbursement: How will the pledged sums be distributed annually? While some Member States, such as Ireland, have specified their disbursement schedule (€250 million annually for nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions from 2026 to 2029), most Member States and the European Commission have not provided such details. Predictable and sustained funding is essential to avoid peaks and gaps in disbursement and to ensure continuous support for partners to effectively plan and manage their development programs over the short, medium, and long term. This will strengthen the EU’s reputation as a reliable partner of choice.  

• Amount Already Disbursed: Some pledges are retroactive – for example, commitments from the European Commission, Germany, Denmark, and Spain began in 2024 or earlier. To maintain transparency, these donors should clarify how much has already been spent or committed. 

• Funding Mechanisms: Only Spain has specified how its pledge will be delivered – through grants. Other donors should clarify the modalities they will use to channel their funding, adapting modalities to national contexts. 

• Prioritization of Nutrition Objectives and Sectoral Allocation of Pledged Resources: Pledge makers must specify how their committed resources will contribute to achieving nutrition goals, ensuring alignment with international targets on stunting, wasting, anemia, and low birth weight. Utilizing the DAC policy markers process, they should embed attention to nutrition, prioritizing reporting it as a principal objective. Additionally, pledge makers should establish benchmarks for the proportion of sectoral spending that includes Principal and Significant nutrition objectives. Overall, greater transparency is needed regarding how committed funds will be allocated across sectors. 

What Is Missing? 

• A Programming Commitment for the European Commission’s support to nutrition security in partner countries: namely, a clear framework to evaluate progress and investment quality, specifying the forms of malnutrition to be addressed.  

• A Political Commitment: Safeguarding the EU’s commitment to nutrition with a concrete Action Plan for Nutrition as recommended by recent Council Conclusions, that: 

• Promotes pathways to nutrition outcomes across all EU external investments (agriculture, health, climate, education, social protection, private sector mobilization, and economic development). 

• Communicates a new public and political narrative on nutrition. 

• Reviews and updates existing frameworks to address growing needs and the evolving international context. 

• Guides stronger integration between emergency and long-term support, aligning priorities and actions.  

• Helps to clarify which funding sources and modalities are best suited for which specific outcomes and contexts.  

• Enhanced Coordination Under the Team Europe (TE) Approach: While the joint communication and the compendium are positive steps, an effective Team Europe approach must focus on reducing donor fragmentation, strengthening joint programming, and improving coordination among European donors, therefore maximizing impact. 

OUR RECOMMENDATIONS 

For the Implementation of Pledged Resources: 

• Prioritize nutrition as a principal objective in EU funding and policy frameworks, rather than considering it a secondary or “significant” objective. 

• Promote multisectoral action for both prevention and treatment, emphasizing inclusive food systems transformation toward agroecological practices and healthier diets, and strengthening health systems to achieve universal health coverage. 

• Ensure transparent reporting by continuing the good practice of publishing detailed reports on the disbursement of pledged resources, even in the absence of an adopted action plan. 

• Enhance meaningful civil society involvement in all programming and implementation to ensure accountability and effectiveness, as recommended by civil society at N4G. 

For the Future of the EU’s Action for Nutrition: 

• Develop a new policy framework that includes a clear programming commitment and an actionable implementation plan. 

• Establish an interparliamentary alliance for nutrition, engaging civil society organizations (CSOs) and building on discussions initiated during N4G. 

The EU’s pledge at N4G marks a significant step forward, and its full impact will depend on how these commitments are translated into action. Clear timelines, transparent funding mechanisms, and a strengthened governance framework will be key to ensuring that nutrition remains a top priority in EU development.  

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The Generation Nutrition Coalition is a network of civil society organizations advocating for stronger European commitments to end malnutrition. Members include: Action Against Hunger, Alliance 2015, CARE International, Global Health Advocates, Save the Children, WaterAid, and World Vision.