-WFP supports Legislative Engagement for Scaling Up Nutrition Friday
Monrovia – “Malnutrition in children less than 5 years of age remains a concern with 35.5% stunted (short for age),“ the Liberia 2018 Comprehensive Food Security and Nutrition Survey (CFSNS) says.
The report indicated that 15% of the children are underweight (thin for age) and 3.7% overweight (above weight considered normal).
One means of tackling this problem is the establishment of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN)–a multi-stakeholder movement to reduce hunger and under-nutrition and contribute to the realization of all the SDGs.
The UN World Food Program (WFP) office in Monrovia says the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement in Liberia and the United Nations Renewed Efforts Against Child Hunger and Under-nutrition (or UN REACH) is this Fridday, May 3, 2019 holding a one-day nutrition awareness meeting with members of the House of Representatives of the 54th National Legislature.
The gathering will be held under the theme “Legislature Engagement for Scaling Up Nutrition“.
As a SUN member country, Liberia is committed to reducing malnutrition through multi-sectoral strategies that address the immediate and underlying causes of malnutrition, a WFP media prelease says.
It says the SUN Movement in Liberia and UN REACH continue to engage nutrition stakeholders from various sectors of society including government line ministries, civil society organizations, donors, INGOs and parliamentarians.
The SUN Movement and REACH first parliamentarian meeting was held with House Speaker Dr. Bonfal Chambers on 16 April 2019 in Monrovia.
During the meeting, Speaker Chambers was briefed about the numerous challenges malnutrition poses as well as some constraints being encountered by the nutrition actors in tackling the issues.
In response, Speaker Chambers expressed gratitude to the SUN and REACH team – as well as UN agencies working for nutrition including the the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, WHO, and FAO among others – for the discussion and pledged the willing of the House of Representatives to collaborate with all stakeholders on nutrition-related concerns.
According to the WFP release, the meeting then agreed on the holding of a one-day engagement and awareness-raising session with members of the House of Representatives to place them in a better position to make informed decisions that can help promote SUN and REACH activities, end malnutrition, and eradicate stunting, leading to a healthier and happier population positively contributing to Liberia’s development agenda.
The one-day legislative engagement will primarily focus on creating awareness on nutrition, presenting and discussing the nutrition-enabling environment, and identifying Nutrition Champion to support Scaling Up Nutrition activities.
REACH bring together WFP, FAO, WHO, UNICEF, and IFAD and Resident Coordinator Office, aiming to improving multi-sectoral nutrition governance. Funded by Irish Aid, REACH is a country-led approach, addressing child undernutrition through the partnership and coordinated actions of UN agencies, civil society, donors, and the private sector, under the leadership of national governments.