Ethiopia Launches UN-Backed Initiative to Combat Child Wasting Crisis Affecting Above 11 Percent Children Under Five
Addis Abeba — Ethiopia has launched a five-year multisectoral drive to combat child wasting, one of the country’s most urgent yet under-addressed public health threats, amid mounting evidence of worsening malnutrition, which now “affects more than 11% of Ethiopian children under five”, up from the 7.68% prevalence recorded in the 2019 Ethiopian Mini Demographic and Health Survey.
The Joint UN Initiative for the Prevention of Wasting (JUNIPr), officially to be launched on 17 July by the Federal Ministry of Health in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Food Program (WFP), aims to accelerate prevention measures for wasting in children aged 0 to 18 months. The initiative is supported by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and is being piloted in Ethiopia, Mali, and Bangladesh.
“This initiative is about prevention, integration, and long-term solutions. It is time for Ethiopia to lead the way,” said Hiwot Dersane, the Ministry’s Nutrition Lead Executive Officer, during the four-day Co-Creation Workshop in Adama. Over 40 representatives from regional health bureaus, line ministries, academic institutions, UN agencies, NGOs, and technical experts took part in shaping an evidence-based prevention package, according to WHO. A second national workshop in early 2026 will finalize interventions, with Ethiopia’s experience expected to serve as a model for other countries.
A persistent and complex emergency
Date from the 2019 Ethiopian Mini Demographic and Health Survey shows wasting prevalence at 7.68% – well above the WHO’s target of reducing rates below 5% by 2025. The study revealed deep systemic challenges: over half of mothers lacked formal education, more than a quarter had no antenatal care, and 87% did not access postnatal care for their children. Large household sizes, poor dietary diversity, and home deliveries were among key factors associated with wasting.
Wasting, an acute, visible, and life-threatening form of undernutrition, causes recurrent illness, delayed growth, poor cognitive development, and in the long term, stunting, reduced learning ability, and diminished work productivity.
Experts warn that unless addressed urgently, the current trajectory will derail Ethiopia’s commitments to both national and global nutrition targets.
From drought to deadly violence
The current push for prevention follows a series of grim assessments exacerbated by the multiple security crises and drought-induced food insecurity Ethiopia witnessed between the 2019 Mini Demographic and Health Survey and now.
In March 2025, the Global Nutrition Cluster, a coalition of 33 NGOs, warned that acute malnutrition rates in several regions had “surpassed the critical threshold of 15%.” Stabilization centers reported the highest mortality rates in Gambella, Benishangul Gumuz, and Southwest Ethiopia, while Amhara recorded the highest treatment non-response rates. Oromia’s East and West Hararghe zones also saw alarming cases of edematous malnutrition caused by severe protein deficiency.
In February 2024, the Amhara Public Health Institute reported that over 250,000 children in drought-stricken areas of the region were suffering from “emergency food shortages.” Only 53% of severely malnourished children and 15% of moderately malnourished children received assistance, while just 11% of moderately malnourished mothers were reached with aid.
Compounding the crisis, outbreaks of measles, mumps, and cholera swept through affected districts in different regions including Amhara, and Oromia.
“JUNIPr represents a shift in how we address malnutrition – moving from response to prevention, from fragmentation to integration,” said Dr. Bejoy Nambiar, UHC Cluster Lead, WHO. “Through this partnership, we can ensure no child suffers from wasting unnecessarily.”
By Addis Standard.
