UN welcomes launch of child nutrition movement in Myanmar

 

Myanmar, one of 46 countries to sign onto the global SUN movement, inked the pact in May last year with the aim of tackling malnutrition, one of the country’s biggest development challenges.

Representatives from 14 government ministries, the United Nations , development partners, civil society organisations and the private sector reaffirmed their commitment to the movement in the Southeast Asian country during the launch held yesterday in Nay Pyi Taw. The UN programme partners the Food and Agriculture Organisation, World Health Organisation, World Food Programme and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Participants will develop a Myanmar SUN implementation plan, aimed at speeding up administration of the existing National Plan of Action for Food and Nutrition (2012-2016), in a two-and-a-half day workshop following the launch.

The launch marks an important step towards ending child malnutrition and improving the chances of a better life for all five-year-olds in the country, said Bertrand Bainvel, UNICEF representative in Yangon and co-chair of the Myanmar Nutrition Technical Working Group.

“Myanmar has the third highest malnutrition rate across South East Asia after Cambodia and East Timor,” he said.

A third of all Myanmar children below five years of age are stunted, with eight per cent dangerously thin for their age. Stunting contributes to almost 15 percent of child deaths each year. A child with wasting is nine times more likely to die than a well-nourished child, according to UNICEF.

“We are working with the Myanmar Government cross-sectorally to ensure no one misses out on the benefits of the SUN Movement. It will be important to ensure positive nutrition outcomes are enjoyed across Myanmar equitably,” said Bui Thi Lan, FAO representative in Yangon.

Underlying causes of malnutrition in the country include inadequate food, poor hygiene practices, limited access to safe water and basic health care services, and inappropriate infant and young child feeding practices.

“Compounding this is ‘hidden hunger’—vitamin and mineral deficiencies among both women and children that often go unnoticed,” said Bui Thi Lan.

The global SUN Movement was launched in 2010 as an international initiative to address the continuing problem of child malnutrition. In 2012, the Myanmar Nutrition Technical Network—a nutrition coordinating body led by the Myanmar government and co-chaired by UNICEF—began the work to introduce the SUN Movement in Myanmar.

Since May last year, when the Myanmar government joined the movement, UN agencies and a large number of civil society organisations have been contributing across the nutrition field and beyond in Myanmar. Their work has focused on nutrition-sensitive sectors including health, water and sanitation, food security, agriculture, livelihoods development, education and protection.

Women and men affected by childhood stunting earn 20 to 30 percent less than those who were well nourished in early childhood.

“Nutrition interventions can result in as much as 46 percent higher wages and dramatically improved livelihood outcomes with an estimated increase in GDP of at least two to three percent,” said Guillaume Foliot, a WFP representative.

If stunting were reduced by 10 percent, two thirds of children could complete primary school instead of half, according to UNICEF.

Dr. Krongthong Thimasarn, WHO’s acting representative in Yangon, echoed UNICEF’s view.

“If all nutrition interventions combined achieved 99 per cent coverage, stunting could be dramatically reduced and the lives of some 10,000 Myanmar children could be saved annually,” said Thimasarn.

Nutrition education influences knowledge, tastes and preferences. Currently in Myanmar, micronutrient deficiencies account for four to six per cent of all under-five deaths, according to UNICEF.