Children 'feeling betrayed' by UK Foreign Aid cuts attend Global Summit to champion children
- Youth Advocates join World Vision to push for children to be prioritised in nutrition funding
- Calls for UK Government to be ambitious and generous in their pledge to be a global leader in the movement to end acute malnutrition for children
- Child Sponsorship works in communities to address causes of malnutrition and hunger
- Interviews with Youth Advocates available
Monday, 24 March 2025
Young adults - who have witnessed firsthand the positive impact of foreign aid on food programmes and clean water projects for children - will be attending the Nutrition for Growth Summit in Paris this week with global children’s charity, World Vision. They will be urging the UK and other governments to confirm their commitment to fund nutrition programmes to protect future generations of children.
“Giving children the opportunity to have their voices heard by world leaders is a hugely important part of World Vision’s work,” says World Vision UK CEO, Fola Komolafe. “Decisions are being made by adults that impact children and future generations, so it’s only right that their views are heard too – especially those from communities that these decisions impact the greatest.
"As the world’s largest children’s charity, that puts children right at the heart of everything we do, we’re asking to the UK Government to listen and take action and not to turn their backs on the world’s children.”
The 2025 N4G Summit will be significant as it marks the end of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition and, coupled with recent moves from governments to reduce foreign aid spending, comes at a crucial time. World Vision, along with its Youth Advocates, will be asking the UK Government to show their global leadership and be ambitious in their commitment to invest in tackling acute malnutrition for children.
“As children and young leaders, the UK aid cuts felt like a betrayal, a withdrawal of promised support.” says Williams (17), a World Vision Youth Advocate from Sierra Leone. “We've seen firsthand the impact of aid, vital school feeding programmes, access to clean water, and healthcare initiatives that saved lives. We fear these will vanish. Children should be prioritised at all levels as agreed by the United Nations Conventions on the Right of the Child Act"
Williams will be joined by Salomé (17) from Colombia and Sunischita (16) from Nepal, and they will be talking with French officials about the needs of children worldwide, sharing their thoughts and desires for the future, and taking part in workshops and dialogues to platform the voices of young people.
Growing levels of hunger not going away
With hunger and malnutrition at unacceptable levels of need around the world, this is an issue that needs global support, not cuts. In 2023, 733 million people faced hunger in 2023, 152 million more compared to 2019, while over 2.8 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet.
World Vision’s own Nutrition Dialogues report – published last month – pulls together the voices of more than 10,000 people across 54 countries, including 41% young people and children and shares insights about the nutrition challenges they face. More than 80% mention economic factors as barriers to good nutrition and 59% indicate that people’s limited access to drinking water, sanitation, and health services impact their nutrition status.
World Vision has joined other major charities as part of the International Coalition for Advocacy on Nutrition (ICAN), and will be at the Summit calling for commitment from the UK Government to invest at least £500 million in nutrition-specific programmes between 2025-2030. They also call for an ambition to reach at least 50 million children, women, and adolescent girls with nutrition-related interventions by 2030.
World Vision is calling for all to remember those suffering from hunger and malnutrition across the world today.
ENDS
Find out more about World Vision’s nutrition work.
View World Vision UK’s statement on the UK Government’s Foreign Aid Cuts.
Interviews with the three Youth Advocates attending the N4G Summit are possible.
For more information, case studies, and assets, please contact Sam Bishop: sam.bishop@worldvision.org.uk
Editors Notes:
At World Vision, our focus is on helping the world’s most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. For 75 years, we have worked together with communities – of all faiths and none – even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith. Thanks to our supporters globally, we work in almost 100 countries and have changed the lives of over 200 million children in the past five years alone.
When you give to World Vision, you know your donations will be well spent, for the greatest impact. We always work alongside communities, with a focus on the most vulnerable children and families helping them overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. So, you know your donations will go to the children in greatest need.
