A/70/213 Nutrition 62. Nutrition, an underlying determinant of the right to health, is essential to children’s health, survival and development. Adequate nutrition begins in utero, since the nutritional status of woman shortly before and during pregnancy can affect the health and healthy development of the child after birth. 63. After birth, adequate nutrition can be supported by the i nitiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding through to the second year of life, 40 nutritional supplementation and ensuring the availability of and access to healthy and culturally appropriate diets for infa nts and young children, including by improving food security. Infant and young child feeding is a key area in improving child survival and promoting healthy growth and development. The first two years of a child’s life are particularly important, as optimal nutrition during this period lowers morbidity and mortality, reduces the risk of chronic disease and fosters better development overall. 41 64. Health care and other services can also play an important role in supporting adequate nutrition through provision of information to pregnant women and families on optimal nutrition, screening and provision of supplements. Breastfeeding remains one of the most effective interventions in reducing child mortality and morbidity. Therefore, ensuring that mothers have an enabling and supportive environment to breastfeed their children is crucial. This includes adequate maternity protection and protection from inappropriate marketing of breast milk substitutes in public and health-care settings. 65. In this connection, the importance of States’ commitments under the global targets for improving maternal, infant and young child nutrition must be underlined. The targets are crucial to establishing priority areas for actio n and catalysing global change. 42 Protection of children against all forms of violence 66. In recent years, research has investigated and highlighted links between exposure to violence and other adverse experiences and long -term health and development problems. 43 Violence includes “all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse”. 44 Violence most often occurs in the home, but it can also occur in the community. 45 Prolonged exposure to various forms of violence and insecurity can result in toxic stress. For young children, the effects of family violence can have __________________ 40 41 42 43 44 45 15-12535 WHO and Commission on the Social Determinants of Health, Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity through Action on the Social Determinants of Health (Geneva, WHO, 2008), p. 50. Available from http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2008/9789241563703_eng.pdf?ua=1. WHO, “Infant and young child feeding”, Fact Sheet No. 342, February 2014. WHO, Global targets 2015 to improve maternal, infant and young child nutrition. Available from www.who.int/nutrition/global-target-2025/en/. WHO, Addressing Adverse Childhood Experience to Improve Public Health: Expert Consultation. 4-5 May 2009. Available from www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/activities/adverse_childhood_experiences/ global_research_network_may_2009.pdf. Committee on the Rights of the Child, general comment No. 13 (2011), para. 4. G. Darmstadt, “Progress and challenges in ensuring healthy births and babies”, Early Child Matters, June 2014, p. 14. 15/25