The SUN shone at Davos last week

“Davos” – the shorthand moniker for the Annual General Meeting of the World Economic Forum – takes place in what is normally a picturesque but rather sleepy, Swiss Alpine village. Yet, every year in late January, it is overrun by heads-of-state, royalty, rock stars, captains-of-industry and powers-that-be. Choose your term. They’re there.

There are plenty of people who roll their eyes and question the utility of this high-altitude global confab, but I am not one of them. As a somewhat veteran observer, I can tell you that Davos gets at least one thing right – nurturing cross-cutting partnerships to address global challenges. Bringing all sectors to the table – government, civil society and the private sector – to tackle a societal problem is so much easier said than done. Yet partnerships are really the only way to effect sustainable systemic change. Maybe Davos succeeds in getting people really talking because it jams some 3,000 guests from 100+ countries into a space that is less than two square miles but, year after year, it has been able to incubate, foster and launch global partnerships designed to finally tackle real problems such as malaria, sustainable agricultural, maternal health and climate change.

One partnership featured this year that is already reaping benefits and is undoubtedly innovative and cost effective is the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement. DSM is a proud and committed partner of the SUN Movement. Launched in 2010, SUN brings together more than 100 partners worldwide, 24 of which are national governments that have all signed on to a proven road map for improving maternal and child nutrition. SUN puts a special focus on the “1,000 day” critical window of opportunity from pregnancy until the child is two years old, during which optimal nutrition can prevent irreversible and long-term limitations to health and cognitive and physical development.

While often overlooked, undernutrition is a global issue that affects billions. Today, about one billion people suffer from long-term hunger—or the inability to access enough nutritious food to lead a healthy life—and one-third of young children, 171 million, are chronically undernourished. Every year, undernutrition contributes to millions of preventable deaths of children under the age of five. It impairs intellectual and physical development, increases the risk that illnesses become fatal, and heightens the risk of non-communicable diseases in adulthood. And, yet, there are proven, cost-effective solutions that, if implemented at scale, can help combat this problem. A simple sachet of powdered vitamins—costing pennies—sprinkled on a meal can provide a child with the vitamins and minerals she needs for her body to thrive and mind to shine, thereby letting her focus on the important things – like learning to read and write. DSM is proud of its humanitarian initiative and nutrition think tank, Sight & Life, which has worked for over 25 years to build bridges towards better nutrition. Together and in partnership with others such as the World Food Programme we are striving to make a real difference in the lives of millions.

As the infographic below makes clear, tackling malnutrition is one of the most cost effective investments we can make to ensure the prosperity of future generations, with a rate of return on investment that would spark the interest of any Davos delegate – as high as 39 to 1. Moreover, it has been estimated that investing in nutrition can increase a country’s GDP by at least 2-3 percent annually. Improving nutrition for today’s infants and young children supports the growth and development of the next generation of citizens that will ultimately drive a nation’s long-term progress. Hard to find a sounder investment than that.

As a businessman, I find these figures hard to resist – simple, cost effective inputs that yield an extraordinarily high rate of return. As one of the thousands of the delegates of Davos trudging the snowy strasses of Davos, I look for those like-minded investors who know a good deal when they see it. And I hope that next year, when WEF rolls around again, we’ll be able to collectively report on our progress towards addressing malnutrition. We must, the time is now.