Parliamentarians Express Firm Commitment To End Malnutrition

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Dec, 2018 ) :Parliamentarians from different political parties expressed their firm commitment on Tuesday to end malnutrition in Pakistan through implementation of multi-sectoral nutrition strategies and increasing nutrition financing by signing a commitment.

They were attending the national orientation and planning meeting with parliamentarians for malnutrition response organized by Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Alliance Pakistan (SUNCSA Pak) and Nutrition International (NI) with collaboration of Ministry of Planning Development and Reform (MPDR).

Ms Saima Liaquat Ali Khan, Chairperson SUNCSA, Pak shared the objectives of the meeting while Dr Irshad Danish, Advocacy Specialist National Advocacy Strategy for Scaling Up Nutrition (NASSUN) highlighted the role of Parliamentary Nutrition Champions and briefly described SUN Civil Society Alliance's successful engagement with the Parliamentarians and political leaders.

Briefing the nutrition situation and multi-sectoral response M. Aslam Shaheen, Chief Nutrition and SUN Focal Point, MPDR said that the government is fully cognizant of the importance of nutrition on human resource development and its implications on the economy.

The Pakistan Vision 2025 and SDGs 2030 have focused on achieving food and nutrition security through innovative interventions.

He said that the Pakistan multi-sectoral nutrition strategy and provincial nutrition strategies have been formulated based on information on nutrition situation and extensive consultation among the stakeholder to overcome malnutrition in a coordinated and effective manner.

Moreover, the PC-1's have been approved under Provincial Multi-sectoral Nutrition Strategies in all the four provinces for malnutrition reduction specifically focusing stunting. � Minister for Women Development, Sindh Ms Syeda Shehla Raza detailed her engagement with the cause of nutrition. She expressed her delight to be part of this important meeting which is intended to devise a united response to malnutrition from the parliamentarians.

Dr Nausheen Hamid Parliamentary Secretary Ministry of National Health Services moderated the discussion of parliamentarians for devising a malnutrition response to malnutrition in Pakistan.

Discussing the role of legislators for addressing malnutrition she said it's the time that we work together to take the policy and legislation for effective implementation.

Ms Kanwal Shuzaib, who is the Parliamentary Sectary for Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform (MPDR) said that malnutrition is an issue that is beyond party affiliations and we are united in the efforts to end malnutrition in Pakistan that is threatening country's social and economic development.

Senator Dr Mehar Taj Rogani said that the first 1000 days of a child life is very crucial. She added that we should focus on nutrition as health is a broader subject so we need a separate taskforce for nutrition for improving nutrition situation in Pakistan.

Dr Baseer Achakzai, Director Nutrition, Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination said that the government sees adequate nutrition as a key ingredient for overall development and adoption of SDGs as country development goals.

He added that the tangible steps taken by the Federal and provincial governments would only bring fruit with a collaborative approach.

Nutrition International's Program Manager Dr Faaria Ahsan thanked the parliamentarians for leading the scaling of nutrition initiatives in the country.

She expressed the hope that the meeting will facilitate in identifying specific directions for political leaders and highlighting the need to increase investment for nutrition.

She also emphasized that nutrition has always been a neglected area however it is quite exemplary that the Prime Minister addressed the issue of malnutrition in his very first speech which shows that the nutrition is in the priority list of the current government.

Later, Ms Kanwal Sauzab distributed the nutrition champions' shield to parliamentarians. The Parliamentary Nutrition Champions Commitment to end malnutrition in Pakistan was signed by all the parliamentarians.

The meeting was attended by over 40 participants including more than 20 member of national and provincial assemblies and federal and provincial ministers, parliamentary secretaries and senators including Dr Nausheen Hamid (MNA), Ms Kanwal Shuzaib (MNA), Ms. Javaria Zafar Aheer (MNA), Syeda Shehla Raza (MPA Sindh), Dr Nisar Cheema (MNA- PML-N), Ms Nusrat Wahid (MNA-PTI), Ms Uzma Jadoon (MNA-PTI), Malik Rasheed Ahmed Khan, (MNA-PML-N), Ms Saira Iftikhar (former MPA Punjab), Zahir Shah Toru (MPA, KP), Dr Shazia Sobia (MNA), Ms Nushrat Wahid (MNA), Liaqat Ali Mohmand (MNA) and many other parliamentarians.