DUBAI: UNICEF, Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) have launched a US$300 million partnership aimed at helping save 3 million children from malnutrition, the organisations announced on March 12. The partnership is tied to Dubai’s Ramadan humanitarian drive, known as 11.5: Edge of Life, which is seeking to mobilise large-scale funding for child nutrition programmes in vulnerable communities.
The partners said the package is structured around an initial, catalytic US$100 million contribution designed to help UNICEF mobilise an additional US$200 million for life-saving nutrition programmes. They said the wider initiative is being built as an alliance intended to bring in additional partners with a stated goal of reaching five million children. UNICEF said its role will focus on expanding access to prevention services, early detection and treatment for children at highest risk.
UNICEF said it will deliver the work through its Child Nutrition Fund, which supports sustained nutrition programming in hard-hit communities. The partners said the focus will include scaling systems that identify children in danger earlier and connect them to care faster, while strengthening services that prevent malnutrition from becoming life-threatening. They also cited a commonly used benchmark for the crisis: five children under the age of five die from malnutrition and hunger around the world every minute.
Edge Of Life Campaign
The Edge of Life campaign was launched during Ramadan by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, with organisers saying it aims to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for long-term efforts to fight childhood hunger worldwide. The campaign name highlights “11.5,” a reference to the mid-upper arm circumference measurement used for children aged six months to five years to screen for acute malnutrition. A measurement below 11.5 centimetres is one of the criteria used to identify severe cases requiring urgent care.
MBRGI Secretary General Mohammad Al Gergawi said the campaign reflects a broader push to expand philanthropic giving and sustain support for essential nutrition among the world’s most vulnerable populations. UNICEF Gulf Area Director Lana Al Wreikat said UNICEF’s nutrition systems and technical expertise are intended to ensure contributions translate into measurable support for children through preventive services and life-saving treatment. CIFF Chief Impact Officer and Executive Director for Nutrition Anna Hakobyan said the partnership deepens CIFF’s collaboration with UNICEF’s Child Nutrition Fund and MBRGI to scale malnutrition prevention and treatment.
Scale Of The Nutrition Crisis
The partnership is being announced against a backdrop of persistent global undernutrition among young children. The latest joint estimates by UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the World Bank show that in 2024 about 42.8 million children under five were affected by wasting, including 12.2 million in its severe form, while 150.2 million were stunted and 35.5 million were overweight. Wasting reflects acute malnutrition, and severe wasting is associated with sharply elevated mortality risk without timely treatment, making early screening and rapid access to care central to many emergency nutrition responses.
CIFF has said it intends to contribute US$100 million, equivalent to AED 367 million, alongside the Edge of Life campaign and work with partners to support life-saving nutrition for five million children. Organisers said the broader campaign continues to accept contributions from institutions and individuals through multiple channels, including a dedicated call centre, bank transfer options, SMS giving and government and community digital platforms – By Content Syndication Services.
