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Adolescent Senegalese girls

OTTAWA, CANADA The Micronutrient Initiative (MI) welcomes the announcement made today by Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau that Canada will make an investment of $650 million over three years in funding for sexual and reproductive health and rights for women and girls globally.

MI believes all women and adolescent girls should be empowered to make their own decisions when it comes to their health, including sexual and reproductive health ― and improved nutrition is fundamental for their empowerment.

“Nutrition is closely linked to sexual and reproductive health and rights,” said MI President and CEO Joel Spicer. “Well-nourished women have safer pregnancies and healthier children. Well-nourished women and girls are healthier, with stronger immune systems, making them more resilient to disease. In this way, improving nutrition for women and girls not only benefits them but has ripple effects on entire communities and countries ― now and for generations to come.”