Jeddah / Rome / London, 8 December 2021 - As a group of committed partners, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), and The Power of Nutrition (TPON) envision creating and implementing the First 1,000 Days Initiative and the respective Multi-Donor Trust Fund. 

The Fund will increase funding for nutrition programs in vulnerable countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries with a high prevalence of malnutrition. It aims to mobilize resources worth US$ 200 million over five years through a range of funding and innovative financing instruments.

This partnership aims to prevent malnutrition and save and change more lives in vulnerable countries by taking multi-sectoral interventions to scale, specifically those focused on the critical first 1,000 days of life.

It will support the effective implementation of national plans by empowering local economies and bringing new players to the table to generate evidence of what works sustainably.  

Each organization will bring unique capabilities and strengths to bear. Additional stakeholders are encouraged to contribute to this initiative to help achieve the 2025 World Health Assembly (WHA) nutrition targets and the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. 

The partners will work together to positively impact nutrition challenges faced by vulnerable communities worldwide by establishing strategic synergies beyond their current efforts at both regional and global levels. 

Several potential areas under exploration are: 

1. An Innovative Fund: IsDB, WFP and TPON will join forces to support an initiative that will scale up nutrition financing and impact interventions at the country level. This initiative is a starting point for a collaboration that we expect to strengthen during the following years. Matching and unlocking resources will be embedded in how the financing mechanism will work. 
2. Advocacy and Awareness: IsDB, WFP and TPON will join forces to advocate and create awareness in our countries of common interest and, more broadly, the global development community on the importance of good nutrition and the need to invest in nutrition to show the benefits for governments, economies, and individuals.  
3. Technical Assistance: IsDB, WFP, and TPON will provide technical assistance to countries in designing and implementing nutrition-related projects or programs.
4. Resource Mobilization: building on the 2021 United Nations Food Systems and the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth' N4G' Summits, WFP, TPON and IsDB will join forces to support resource mobilization at the country level, especially exploring ways to release domestic funding and blended finance for nutrition. The Trust Fund will look at a range of financing and innovative financing instruments, such as concessional loans and grants, to greater private sector investment.

This Statement of Collaboration, supported by all the three parties engaged in this new partnership, will be followed by a formal partnership agreement.

This agreement will outline what the partnership aims to achieve and address each agency's specific roles and responsibilities, among other relevant details and provisions.