Introduction
The effects of climate change are becoming more difficult to manage, and there is an increase in hunger and malnutrition around the world. 30% of the world faces micronutrient deficiency, 828 million people are undernourished, and 676 million are obese.

Those that are the most vulnerable include: women, children, refugees, migrants and indigenous people.

Food security is also threatened due to climate change, as yields are reduced and prices rise. Mainly due to extreme weather events.

Our food systems also release large amounts of GHG emissions, and the increased need for land means carbon sinks are reduced, soil is tilled, and wetlands are drained.

Health and climate change costs could be reduced by US $ 1.3 trillion, if we moved towards sustainability, climate resilience, food security and healthy diets.

In order to end hunger and malnutrition we also have to depend on health, social protections and WASH systems.

Vision
I-CAN, a multistakeholder, multisectoral global flagship initiative is to be launched in partnership with WHO, FAO, UN agencies and partners at COP27. The initiative should help to increase transformative action to address a nexus needed for climate change and nutrition.

The initiative will increase the global attention on food systems to create new policies and actions to improve nutrition.

Only 12% of national policies worldwide consider the climate, biodiversity and nutrition. Only 32% include adaptation in their National Action Plans (NAPs). With very few NDCs mentioning the climate and nutrition.

The initiative wants to support member states in carrying out climate change adaptation, whilst improving nutrition. This will then increase healthy diets from food systems that are sustainable.

Objectives and outcomes
Objectives include:

  • to champion the need to connect actions to accelerate progress in both climate (mitigation and adaptation) and nutrition
  • to outline deliverables that will monitor progress in integrated action
  • to facilitate the provision of technical and high-level support to Member States to achieve these deliverables
  • to provide practical examples of what all stakeholders can implement to advance integrated action
  • to outline what the convenors of this initiative will do to advance integrated action

Outcomes include:

  • implementation, action and support
  • capacity building, data and knowledge transfer
  • policy and strategy
  • investments