Donor agencies and national governments around the world are committed to strengthening the global response to undernutrition in developing countries. This report looks at a complex issue that underpins their efforts: is the ‘architecture’ of financing adequate to ensure that funds can reach their required targets in a co-ordinated and effective way? Are current financing mechanisms adequate? Could new mechanisms usefully be introduced? The report does not claim to have found definitive answers, but we raise issues for discussion that should be addressed as the nutrition community searches for improvements and increased effectiveness.

While there are a great many agencies involved in nutrition architecture, there is an overall shortage of donors, or donor agencies, which provide significant funds for nutrition work. However various agencies have begun working on new initiatives, perhaps in response to the challenges of delivering large increases in resources to nutrition. Indeed this is a rapidly changing landscape. There are at least three innovative financing or leveraging proposals being developed which are outlined in the report: the Catalytic Fund for Nutrition, the Global Financing Facility and UNITLIFE.