Strong, resilient and shock-responsive health and social protection systems are crucial to address and prevent malnutrition in all its forms, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and the rising burden of overweight, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). When adequately designed and resourced, health and social protection systems can provide complementary services to address direct, underlying and root causes of malnutrition, especially during the crucial first 1,000 days from conception to age 2 years.