Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) was involved in the development of the nutrition thematic brief compiled by the Civil 7 (C7) Global Health Working Group, titled “Nutrition, the cornerstone of global health and equity: A call to action to G7 members and partners,” and has signed it.

C7 is one of the official engagement groups that provides policy recommendations to the G7. It serves as a platform that brings together the voices of civil society organizations from G7 countries and beyond, and communicates recommendations to G7 Summits and relevant ministerial meetings. HGPI has contributed to C7’s work to date by signing the C7 Global Health Working Group’s health policy recommendations to the G7 and by submitting input to its thematic brief on climate change and health. This thematic brief is one of several thematic policy documents developed under the Working Group, ahead of the 2026 G7 Summit. It calls for placing nutrition at the center of G7 efforts on global health and development, with a response that is linked to sustainable finance.

The brief highlights that under-prioritization of nutrition is fueling a global health crisis, including preventable child deaths, maternal mortality, and slowing progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It further notes that global development aid for nutrition programs has fallen by 44% compared to 2022, and calls on G7 leaders to take urgent and coordinated action to reverse these trends. The brief addresses malnutrition in all its forms — encompassing undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) — and stresses that strengthening country-led systems must be the guiding priority of all G7 actions.

Nutrition International served as a coordinator in creating this brief, which was compiled based on input from members of the C7 Global Health Working Group.

■ Key Recommendations

The recommendations are structured around the following four pillars:

1. Strengthen and optimize financing for nutrition
   • Leverage and improve the efficiency of existing funding for nutrition, including the implementation and accountability of Nutrition for Growth (N4G) commitments and the N4G Paris Declaration 2025.
   • Embed nutrition across G7 commitments, with clear outcomes on nutrition and child survival backed by implementation and financing mechanisms aligned with country plans and priorities.
   • Mobilize new financing for essential child survival and nutrition interventions, including support for global initiatives such as the Global Financing Facility (GFF) and the Child Nutrition Fund.
     
     
2. Ensure universal access to essential nutrition actions (ENA)
   • Strengthen health systems to deliver integrated nutrition services through primary health care (PHC) and universal health coverage (UHC) platforms, addressing bottlenecks in workforce capacity, supply chains, financing, and information systems.
   • Invest in sustainable and nutrition-sensitive health, food, and social protection systems, particularly during the critical first 1,000 days.
   • Integrate nutrition into pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPPR), prioritizing continuity of essential nutrition services in settings affected by conflict, displacement, and climate-related shocks.
     
     
3. Adopt a one health approach to strengthen nutrition
   • Invest in climate-resilient and nutrition-sensitive health systems, integrating nutrition-related actions into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).
   • Strengthen water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) integration with nutrition in national policies and strategies.
   • Integrate nutrition and neglected tropical disease (NTD) efforts through coordinated service delivery, strengthening integrated approaches that address the interlinkages between NTDs and malnutrition.
   • Promote sustainable and nutrition-sensitive food systems that deliver affordable, safe, and nutritious diets.
     
     
4. Strengthen country-led systems for greater accountability
   • Champion country-led leadership and action for child survival, including national targets, implementation plans, and robust multisector data and monitoring systems.
   • Back sustainable and domestically anchored financing pathways, supporting countries to expand fiscal space through taxation reforms, debt swaps, and improved budget prioritization.
   • Promote national coordinated multisectoral action for nutrition, including through the financing of sustainable national multi-stakeholder platforms.

■ HGPI’s Input

Several important perspectives contributed by HGPI through its input process are reflected in this brief. A major point includes the recognition of malnutrition “in all its forms”, extending beyond undernutrition to include overweight, obesity, and diet-related NCDs. This reflects the importance of viewing nutrition challenges comprehensively, including not only undernutrition but also overnutrition and diet-related NCDs. This is also consistent with the perspective Japan has emphasized within the international nutrition agenda, including the formal inclusion of the double burden of malnutrition on the agenda at the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in 2021. In addition, the inclusion of a reference to the N4G Paris Declaration 2025 in the financing recommendations highlights the importance of implementing and ensuring accountability for N4G commitments. Furthermore, strengthening country-led systems and improving accountability are positioned as independent pillars of the recommendations, including strengthening national targets, implementation plans, progress reviews, and multisector data monitoring systems. This aligns with HGPI’s input that governance, domestic implementation structures, and multisectoral coordination should be prioritized in sustainably advancing nutrition policy.

HGPI will continue to contribute to addressing global health challenges, including nutrition, through active participation in international policy dialogues, including C7, and through collaboration with global partners.

*The full text of the brief is available in the PDF below.