Initiative on Climate Action and Nutrition (I-CAN)
Background
Climate change and malnutrition are two of the greatest barriers to sustainable development. By 2030, impacts of climate change may contribute to more than 100 million additional people being pushed into extreme poverty and to an increase of 50% in humanitarian needs. Compounded by the climate change challenge, in 2022, 738.9 million people faced hunger, and over 3.1 billion lacked access to healthy diets. Poverty, hunger and malnutrition are intrinsically intertwined and share similar structural drivers and vulnerabilities, including vulnerability to impact of climate extremes. Food security and good nutrition are essential human rights and will not be achieved sustainably without climate action. Whereas the goals of climate action cannot be achieved without also addressing food security and good nutrition. The latest IPCC reports document that even if all climate commitments in sectors other than agrifood systems were reached, the goals of the Paris Agreement would still not be met, highlighting the need to invest in agrifood systems solutions and underscoring the urgent need to empower all available climate solutions across all sectors.
Integrated actions that are nutrition-sensitive and climate-smart present an opportunity to accelerate progress towards SDG 2, SDG 13 and the 1.5 °C Paris Agreement Goal simultaneously. Recognizing this potential, as well as, the fragmentation in policies, programmes, and investments on climate mitigation and adaptation and those in agrifood systems, food security and nutrition, the Government of Egypt, as COP27 President, launched the multistakeholder and multisectoral global flagship Initiative on Climate Action and Nutrition (I-CAN) with goal of catalyzing, mobilizing, connecting, and advocating to advance climate-nutrition integrated actions.
Activities
I-CAN is implemented in partnership with FAO, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, the UN-Nutrition secretariat and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
PILLAR 1 - Provide targeted support to strengthen national policies for integrated country action
PILLAR 2 - Build a strong alliance of countries advancing action
PILLAR 3 - Improve data on the opportunities for joint action on nutrition and climate, and track progress to 2030 and beyond
PILLAR 4 – Mobilize finance to address climate and nutrition together
PILLAR 5 – Become the ‘go-to’ place to connect and amplify efforts to integrate nutrition and climate
Impact
Actively supported the implementation of national climate and biodiversity plans through multiple strategic actions:
Evidence Generation and Baseline Analysis: Conducted a comprehensive analysis of the integration of nutrition into NDCs, NAPs, and NBSAPs, establishing a 2023 baseline and preparing for the 2025 update. This provides a foundation for tracking progress and identifying opportunities for deeper integration.
Advocacy and Knowledge Products: Developed targeted advocacy materials and a practical playbook to promote the inclusion of nutrition in climate policies. These tools support countries in aligning food and nutrition strategies with climate adaptation and mitigation goals.
Direct Country Engagement: Participated in national NDC revision processes in countries such as Nepal, Cambodia, Armenia, and South Africa, contributing technical expertise and promoting policy coherence between climate and nutrition agendas.
Global and Regional Advocacy Platforms: Engaged in high-level advocacy events to raise awareness and build momentum for integrating nutrition into climate and biodiversity frameworks. These efforts help strengthen institutional capacity and policy integration across sectors.