IT is entirely fitting that Ireland is hosting the April 15-16 International Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Climate Justice in Dublin.

Fitting because it was in Ireland that a historic injustice took place -- the Great Hunger of 1845-52, in which one million human beings died, many of them children.

And fitting because Ireland has been and is a leader in the global fight against another great social injustice: stunting.

If you have never heard of stunting, you are by no means alone. A vast human tragedy, it is one of the least reported, least recognised, least understood issues before us.

Stunting, caused by chronic under nutrition early in a child's life, blights the lives of some 165 million children around the world. It is far more than a problem of inadequate growth/height for these children. It can trap them in a lifetime cycle of poor nutrition, illness, poverty and inequity.

Why? Because stunted growth in the first months of a child's life means stunted development of the brain and thus, of cognitive capacity. Permanently.

Stunting hampers not only the future ability of an individual child to learn and earn, but also the social and economic progress of the countries in which they live. In real terms, it cuts school performance, translating into a reduction in adult income by 22 per cent on average. It also leads to increased risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adult life.

In 2011 it was estimated that more than one in every four children under five in the developing world were stunted, or 28 per cent -- an estimated 160 million children. 80 per cent of children globally live in just 14 countries. Stunting continues to be highly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, and is highest among low-income countries.

High stunting rates are part of the reason why the world is not on track to reach most of the Millennium Development Goals, notably on extreme poverty and hunger, child and maternal health, and combating HIV and AIDS. Under nutrition contributes to one-third of child deaths and around one-fifth of maternal deaths.

The good news is that it does not have to be this way. In fact, attacking stunting is a huge development opportunity. And a cost effective one.

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Nutrition for a just world