Over half of the world’s population live in cities. By 2050, it is expected that almost 7 out of 10 people will reside in cities, with 90% of this growth occurring in Africa and Asia. Urbanisation is linked to increasing rates of overweight and obesity, yet undernutrition is also prevalent in cities. These areas are confronted by an increasingly complex challenge to address malnutrition in all its forms.
Urban food environments impact the affordability, access, availability and desirability of healthy and unhealthy foods. Urban Governance for Nutrition is the process of making and implementing decisions that shape sustainable food systems to deliver better nutrition for people in cities. As nutrition is impacted by a number of issues and sectors; a range of stakeholders, including the private sector and civil society, need to be involved in urban governance.
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) brings diverse stakeholders together to develop policies and actions that help to equitably and sustainably shape urban food environments to deliver healthy diets.