World Health Assembly Must Act Now or Lose a Generation to Malnutrition

As world leaders gather in Geneva for the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78), International aid agency, World Vision, is issuing a stark warning: failure to invest in integrated, community-led health and nutrition systems risks dooming millions of children to lives marked by malnutrition, illness, and violence.

“This is a moment of reckoning,” said Dan Irvine, Global Director for Health and Nutrition at World Vision International. “We’re watching a generation of children in fragile and conflict-affected settings slip through the cracks. WHA78 cannot be another conference of good intentions—it must be a turning point.”

World Vision is calling for urgent global action to align health and nutrition policies with the needs of the most vulnerable. The organisation is spotlighting three key resolutions under discussion at WHA78 that directly impact child health and survival:

• Extending the Global Nutrition Targets to 2030
• Regulating the digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes
• Strengthening the global health and care workforce, with an emphasis on community health workers

“These are not abstract policy goals—they are life and death decisions that must be made urgently for the children we serve,” Irvine continued. “Every day, our teams see how under-resourced health systems fail to protect children from preventable diseases, hunger, and violence. We’re here to demand better.”

World Vision’s message is clear; integrated, community-rooted approaches that combine health, nutrition, and protection are essential. The NGO brings decades of experience in leveraging local leadership, faith-based networks, and deep community trust to deliver lasting change. 

“At this Assembly, governments have a choice,” said Irvine. “Will they invest in community health workers, scale up proven nutrition interventions, and protect children from harmful marketing? Or will they settle for piecemeal solutions while crises multiply? We urge Member States to back their commitments with real resources, especially for children living at the intersection of conflict, climate shocks, and economic instability.”

ENDS. 

Notes to Editor:

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From 19–27 May, World Vision will be a prominent civil society voice at WHA78, co-hosting official side events and delivering technical contributions on topics such as:

• Multisectoral action to meet global nutrition goals, in partnership with WHO, the Government of Ireland, and the SUN Movement
• Preventing wasting and improving health financing in fragile contexts
• The essential role of community health workers in reaching children in remote and crisis-affected areas

They will also deliver formal statements on five key WHA agenda items and hold strategic meetings with partners including GAVI, The Global Fund, and WHO officials.

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organisation dedicated to working with children, families and their communities to reach their full potential by tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.   

More information and live updates can be found at wvi.org/health/world-health-assembly and on social media using #WHA78 and #ENOUGH