Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, for what reason the funding allocated to nutrition-specific investments in 2018 was 20 per cent lower than in 2017.

The reduction in nutrition-specific spend between 2017 and 2018 is the result of several standalone nutrition programmes coming to an end, with nutrition activities integrated into broader health investments.

Donor investments in nutrition-specific activities are currently tracked through the OECD DAC Creditor Reporting System using a single code: ‘basic nutrition’. Only programmes that are solely focused on nutrition appear in the Creditor Reporting System under the basic nutrition code. Over the past few years, we have actively promoted integration of nutrition services into health investments. However, this has meant that spend on nutrition-specific activities is reported against other health codes rather than basic nutrition.

Independent analysis of donor nutrition financing noted that – relative to other donors – DFID disburses a greater proportion of nutrition-specific aid through health codes other than basic nutrition. This was ascribed to us having a greater emphasis on addressing nutrition through integrated health programmes.

We remain committed to supporting the scale up of high-impact nutrition-specific services – including through our investments in the Power of Nutrition and through a new partnership with UNICEF.

We will also be applying the new OECD DAC policy marker for nutrition from 2020 onwards. This should help strengthen monitoring of the UK’s investments to prevent and treat malnutrition.