Introduction

Ayoub Al-Jawaldeh is an international expert in nutrition and the author of more than 150 publications and books on nutrition, food systems and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). He has worked with the World Health Organization as a Regional Adviser in Nutrition in the Eastern Mediterranean Region since 2009, and prior to that he was a leading member of the United Nations World Food Programme for 20 years, focusing on countries including Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan, Malawi, and Iraq. In his work he manages multiple international executive functions, including nutrition policies and strategies, research and capacity-building programmes that address the double burden of malnutrition, including maternal and child nutrition, diet-related risk factors for non-communicable diseases, and nutrition for emergencies in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.