Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, together with international partners, to tackle acute child malnutrition across the world, and particularly in Afghanistan; and what assessment they have made of the UNICEF report Child Alert: Severe Wasting, published in May, which said that "a record 1.1 million children in Afghanistan are projected to need life-saving treatment for severe wasting this year, nearly double the number in 2018".

The UK continues to be deeply concerned over the high levels of global acute child malnutrition, with over 60 million children expected to experience wasting in 2022. As highlighted in the recent UNICEF Child Alert, the UK has been at the forefront of tackling this devastating condition which not only takes lives but also leaves children with lifelong disabilities. The UK has historically been the largest funder for treatment of child wasting, providing roughly one quarter of all financing for wasting. In September 2020 the FCDO launched a 5-year partnership with UNICEF to drive improvements to the prevention and treatment of child wasting.

Levels of acute malnutrition in Afghanistan are particularly concerning, with 1.1 million children expected to require life-saving treatment for severe wasting this year. In response the UK has pledged a further £286 million for Afghanistan, the majority of which will go towards life-saving humanitarian assistance. A priority focus is emergency food assistance and nutrition services through key partners, including UNICEF and the World Food Programme. This support is expected to reach over 4 million people with a focus on vulnerable women and children.