Whereas 151 million children under the age of 5 in the world—22 percent—are stunted, or chronically undernourished, and in countries highly affected by undernutrition, stunting affects 1 in every 3 children; Whereas wasting, or acute malnutrition, continues to threaten the lives of an estimated 7.5 percent or nearly 51 million children under the age of 5 globally, and more than 38 million children under the age of 5 are overweight; Whereas malnutrition directly or indirectly causes 45 percent of all deaths—2.6 million—of children under age 5 annually and puts those who survive at risk of impaired brain development, lower IQ, weakened immune systems, and greater risk of serious diseases; Whereas undernourished adolescent girls have impaired cognitive ability and productivity and their future babies are at increased risk for low birth weight and death; Whereas iron deficiency anemia, associated with undernutrition, contributes to 1 in 5 maternal deaths (or 20 percent of maternal mortality); Whereas poor maternal nutrition contributes to poor fetal development and low birth weight, and an estimated 60 to 80 percent of neonatal deaths occur in low birth weight babies; Whereas a large body of scientific evidence supports the benefits of improved breastfeeding practices on the short-term and long-term health and development of children and their mothers; Whereas a growing evidence base demonstrates that reducing maternal and child malnutrition, especially in the critical 1,000 days between pregnancy and age 2, is imperative to ending preventable maternal and child deaths, improving cognitive and physical development, and strengthening children’s immune systems to bolster resistance to disease; Whereas leading economists and Nobel Laureates have identified improving child nutrition as the most cost-effective way to enhance global health and development