The United Nations has extended its fullest support to Sri Lanka’s ambitious national program to end child malnutrition by 2030. UN Resident Coordinator Hanna Singer, hailed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s decision to prioritise this issue and pointed out that most people place little importance on the critical issue of children and their food and nutrition needs.
She thanked the President for acceding to her request to make a presentation on child malnutrition and related issues at the President’s Office. It was held on Wednesday, February 26 with the participation of President Rajapaksa, senior officials and Heads of several UN institutions.
Many aspects of issues related to child development were highlighted at the presentation. Those who participated included Heads and representatives of the UN, UNICEF, WHO, FAO, WFP, UNDP and the World Bank along with their partners, Japanese Ambassador Akira Sugiyama and First Secretary Chiharu Hoshiai, Chinese Deputy Chief of Mission Hu Wei and Second Secretary Liang Zhijun, European Union’s Mission Head of Development Cooperation, Frank Hess and several experts from the UN.
President Rajapaksa stressed the importance of addressing malnutrition in children. He noted that it is important to alleviate poverty as that is the main cause for malnutrition in Sri Lanka. “Our economic project is based on a people centric economic model,” he explained. “We want to raise the poorest to a higher standard of living. So, we have already started on a number of projects to address this issue.”
UNICEF, the UN-arm committed to building the intellectual, social-emotional and institutional capacities of all children, communities and stakeholders, assists several programs in Sri Lanka, with the intention of creating an environment that enables child survival, protection and development. In this way, all children will be equipped for the future and will be empowered and enabled to play a key role in driving sustainable national development.
UN Resident Coordinator Hanna Singer said that due to urbanisation, climate change and many other factors, people are increasingly moving away from their traditional food and turning to food of convenience. Unfortunately these foods are high on sugar and low on nutrients and as a result child malnutrition is on the rise.
According to a Demographic Health Survey conducted in 2016, among under-five-year-olds in Sri Lanka, 15.1 percent suffer from wasting (acute malnutrition), 17.3 percent from stunting (chronic malnutrition) and 20.5 percent from being underweight. Stating these alarming statistics, Child Survival and Development Manager at UNICEF, Dr. Safina Abdulloeva said that globally one in three children is affected with malnutrition. The World Bank representative, Senior Health Economist Dr. Hideki Higashi also confirmed that these statistics indicate Sri Lanka is far below average in the region.
Though Sri Lanka has taken a number of steps to address malnutrition, it is questionable whether the programs were effective. The comprehensive programs fall within nine ministries. Yet, there is an indication that the resources allocated may not be used in the most optimal manner.
Dr. Abdulloeva warned of irreversible damage to a child’s health and development due to malnutrition. The problem of wasting increases the risk of stunted growth in a child. This is irreversible and can lead to impaired growth and development, including the brain. This in turn hampers not only a child’s performance in school, but also their cognitive abilities, health and work productivity in later life, undermining a country’s sustainable national development. Elaborating on the steps taken by the government to deal with child malnutrition among other issues, President Rajapaksa outlined the program to employ one hundred thousand youth from the poorest of the poor families. This is one of the first projects that was initiated by the new government. This program aims to provide a steady income to those who cannot find employment due to lack of educational qualifications, skills or other talent. By absorbing into the State sector one member from each such family, and providing them with the skill or training, the economic burden of these families would be lessened.
As one-third of the Sri Lankan population is engaged in the agricultural sector, it is essential to develop this sector to raise the living standards of the people. That would, in turn, help eradicate malnutrition.
President Rajapaksa sought assistance from the UN to help this sector to perform better and thereby increase their incomes. By increasing productivity in the agricultural sector, food security is also assured and that in turn benefits children with better nutrition.
“Most farmers are from rural areas and are still engaged in traditional practices,” said the President. “They do not have the necessary education to understand new technology such as green houses, drip irrigation, use of proper fertiliser and storage. We must help by creating digital platforms that reduce the intervention of intermediaries that reduce the farmers’ profits,” he said.
The fisheries sector is also another important area, the President said. “Fish is an important source of nutrition, but it is expensive. The challenge is to create the right balance where the fishermen are provided with a good market, but the consumer is provided fish at an affordable price.”
President also expressed his keenness to improve the dairy industry. “When we were children, schools gave us a glass of fresh liquid milk. But now, as both parents are working, they find it convenient to give their children powdered milk.”
The UNICEF expressed the view that in an era of declining bilateral aid and foreign investment, the ability of Sri Lanka’s communities to design, develop and drive sustainable growth is paramount. Therefore, the overarching theme of UNICEF-Sri Lanka’s 2018–2022 Country Program is to contribute to national efforts.