The Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), an inclusive inter-governmental meeting on nutrition jointly organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), will be held at FAO Headquarters, in Rome, 19-21 November 2014. Notwithstanding progress in many countries, unacceptably high levels of malnutrition persist. As global problems require global solutions, only an intergovernmental conference can legitimately identify the commitments of stakeholders to act decisively to address malnutrition.