New index measures political commitment of 45 developing countries to address hunger, malnutrition

Apr 12 2013

The Guardian reports on "a new index measuring political commitment to tackling hunger and undernutrition in 45 developing countries." The Hunger and Nutrition Commitment Index (HANCI) "ranks 45 developing countries for their performance on 22 indicators of political commitment to reducing hunger and undernutrition, using information in the public domain from U.N. agencies and other bodies," the newspaper writes, adding, "The index looks at policies and programs (e.g. national nutrition policy, plan or strategy) legal frameworks (e.g. constitutional right to food and women's access to farmland) and public spending (e.g. spending on agriculture, nutrition budget)." HANCI "revealed that sustained economic growth does not necessarily translate into government commitments to tackle hunger and undernutrition. ... Conversely, low gross national income (GNI) per capita does not imply low levels of commitment," according to the newspaper. "Guatemala ranks first and Guinea-Bissau last in" the index, The Guardian notes and examines underlying differences in nutrition-related policies in the two countries (Tran, 4/11). The newspaper also provides an infographic of the index (4/11).