“Stunting is a key factor holding back progress on children’s well-being, and Asia faces a significant challenge with millions of children under five stunted,” according to Save the Children’s 2012 Child Development Index (CDI), IRIN reports. The news service examines data from the 2012 State of the World’s Children report (.pdf), noting that nearly 60 percent of children under five in Afghanistan and Timor Leste have moderate to severe stunting, which puts children “at greater risk of illness and death, impaired cognitive development and poor school performance, say health experts.”

According to Michel Anglade, Save the Children’s Asia campaigns and advocacy director, “Good nutrition between the start of a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday is critical to the future health, well-being and success of the child and can have a profound impact on a child’s ability to grow, learn and rise out of poverty,” the news service writes. “Political commitment, supportive policies and effective strategies are the key to success in improving children’s health; some countries are taking action,” IRIN adds and details those efforts (9/18).