The Iodine Global Network (abbreviated IGN; formerly the International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders Global Network or ICCIDD Global Network) describes itself as a "non-profit, non-government organization for the sustainable elimination of iodine deficiency worldwide."
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History
The Iodine Global Network was founded in 1986, with its inaugural meeting held in Kathmandu, Nepal. In 2002, the Network for Sustained Elimination of Iodine Deficiency was launched at the Special Session for Children. In 2012, the two organizations combined to form IGN.
In December 2014, the organization was renamed to "Iodine Global Network" from "International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders Global Network". The domain name of the IGN's website was changed from iccidd.org to ign.org.
Partners
IGN has partnered with the World Health Organization and UNICEF on work related to iodine deficiency. It has also partnered with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition to establish quality management systems for salt iodization. Other partners include the Micronutrient Initiative, Kiwanis International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a number of salt manufacturing companies around the world.
IGN is also affiliated with the International Union of Nutritional Sciences.
GiveWell
In 2009, charity evaluator GiveWell considered IGN as a charity to recommend to donors, and decided, based on a cursory, open-ended review, that it was unlikely to meet GiveWell's criteria at the time.
However, in 2014, GiveWell announced that IGN would be among the organizations that it would investigate in greater depth as a potential top recommended charity, along with the Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Nothing But Nets, and some UNICEF immunization programs. In early 2014, GiveWell staff members had a series of conversations with Michael Zimmerman, the executive director of IGN, and a conversation with Greg Garrett of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (and IGN board member), notes from which were published online. On July 30, GiveWell published an update with a partial review of IGN.
On December 1, 2014, GiveWell announced its top charities and standout charities for the year. IGN was included among the standout charities, alongside the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition's Universal Salt Iodization Program, Development Media International, and Living Goods.
In 2015, GiveWell published an updated review of IGN, in which they write that their "view of [IGN] has not changed substantially since" the 2014 review. IGN continued to be included in GiveWell's list of standout charities for 2015 and for mid-2016.
In November 2016, IGN was included in GiveWell's list of "Charities Worthy of Special Recognition" (previously called "standout charities").