[Nutrition on the world map. The UN International Conference on Nutrition]

The first International Conference on Nutrition ever organized by the United Nations took place in Rome in December 1992. The conference was attended by representatives of 159 countries and of various non-governmental organizations and the food industry. Preparations for the conference included preparation of a number of background documents, including an analysis of the nutritional situation in the different countries (country papers), twelve in-depth studies, eight theme papers and an assessment of the global nutrition situation. This article describes the process leading up to the conference, some of the problems and conflicts that appeared, controversial issues that were discussed and the final outcome of the conference (The world declaration and Plan of action for nutrition). The countries that participated in the conference pledged to make every effort to eliminate, before the end on this decade, famine and famine-related deaths, starvation and nutritional deficiencies related to natural and man-made disasters, and deficiencies of iodine and vitamin A.