High rates of overweight and obesity in Asia and the Pacific seriously threaten people’s health and undermine the region’s prosperity warns this new book published by the Asian Development Bank. According to this book, obesity causes 12% of total health care expenditures or 0.78% of gross domestic product in the region.

This document provides a regional assessment of food security and vulnerability for SADC member countries, and aims to synthesise national level vulnerability assessments, facilitate discussions and a shared vision for reducing vulnerability, and discuss emerging trends in vulnerability assessments.

Enhancing food security in vulnerable regions requires both short- and long-term investments. Even though targeted interventions are needed for short-term relief, building resilient food systems is crucial for providing continued food and nutrition security.

In this report, a group of European Commission (EC) appointed experts recommend orientations for food and nutrition security research and innovation in the years to come.