A two-day international conference, ‘Act For Nutrition: The Emergency We Can No Longer Ignore’, is being held at Islamabad’s Serena Hotel on Pakistan’s persistent nutrition and stunting crisis.
With more than 40 per cent of children under five stunted, a maternal mortality rate of 155 deaths per 100,000 live births, and malnutrition costing Pakistan upwards of $17 billion annually, the country stands at a crossroads: continue on the current trajectory and surrender an entire generation’s potential, or choose a different future.
The two-day conference is bringing together policymakers, international development leaders, health professionals and nutrition experts to confront the burgeoning crisis and build momentum for urgent, coordinated action.
The focus of discussions will be on moving the national conversation beyond statistics towards practical, measurable interventions that can improve nutrition outcomes and protect Pakistan’s human capital and future generations.
View the full agenda here.
12:42pm - ‘We can no longer afford to look away,’ BISP chairperson says
Senator Rubina Khalid, the chairperson of Benazir Income Support Programme, said in her keynote address that the responsibility lay not just with providing financial assistance, but with also helping families move from vulnerability towards dignity.
“We have gather here today … because we can no longer afford to look away,” she said. She said that more than 40pc of children under five in Pakistan were stunted, while malnutrition placed a huge burden on the economy.
“Stunting is not only a health issue. It is a human capital issue, an economic issue and a challenge to Pakistan’s future,” she said. She said that the country lacked integration of the programmes it had to address these issues.
At the end of her address, she said: “We must work together so that every child in Pakistan has the opportunity to grow, learn and reach their full potential. Because every child we protect from malnutrition is not simply a life protected, it is the future protected, a family strengthened and a stronger Pakistan secured.”
12:40pm: Session on integrating nutrition into social protection systems begins
A session on integrating nutrition into social protection systems begins.
12:30pm - Sri Lankan doctor calls for understanding child growth trajectory in South Asia
Dr Rannan-Eliya, in answer to a question, pointed out that the child growth trajectory is South Asia was not the same as the rest of the world.
“We have sort of misunderstood the problem,” he remarked, adding: “There is no uniformity in child growth, and because we use a single growth standard, we partly misdiagnose what is going on”.
“In my sense, Sri Lankan kids need to be better nourished but there is a limit to what we can do and we need to understand that,” he said. He noted that a similar understanding was also being realised in India.
“So we need to do more as South and South East Asian countries, and it’s something that needs better investigation, and it is leading to a misunderstanding of what the problem is.”
12:13pm - Expert says nutrition an issue of human capital, economic growth
Dr Irshad Danish, the co-chair of the Global Nutrition Report Stakeholder Group, said that from his experience, Pakistan had low allocation, fragmented spending and implementation challenges.
“If we need $10 to feed malnourished children, we are spending only $2,” he said. He added that Pakistan was losing $17bn annually due to malnutrition.
He said that this also resulted in poor education outcomes, children with cognitive issues and lower workforce productivity.
“So, nutrition is not just a health issue. It is an issue of human capital and economic growth,” he said. He said that the cost of malnutrition was far greater than the cost of prevention.
“We need to move from fragmented spending towards strategic investment, and from hidden allocations to transparent budgets,” he said.
10:46am - UN official says malnutrition an ‘emergency we can no longer ignore’
Pernille Ironside, the United Nations’ resident coordinator in Pakistan, said that malnutrition was an “emergency we can no longer ignore”.
“When we talk about nutrition, we are not only talking about what a child eats. We are talking about whether a child reaches their full potential. We are talking about the strength of Pakistan’s capital. Nutrition is not only a health issue, it’s a development issue, an economic issue and an issue of equity and opportunity,” she said.
She said that children living in poorer and remote areas were more likely to be left behind. She also said that at the same time, Pakistan faced a growing burden of obesity-related diseases.
10:40am - World Bank official says malnutrition barrier to health, prosperity of individuals, nations
Abigail Perry, the lead nutrition specialist at the World Bank, said malnutrition was a fundamental barrier to the health and prosperity of individuals, communities and nations.
“When a child’s development suffers early in life, the effects can last a lifetime,” she said. She said that the challenge for Pakistan was how to act at the scale, speed and quality required.
10:35am - WHO chief says nutrition is not just about food
World Health Organisation Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said nutrition was not only about food.
“It is about access to safe, healthy, diets and strong food systems. Government, academia, civil society and the private sector all have a role to play,” he said.
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