2nd day of Act for Nutrition conference begins

The second day of the two-day international conference, 'Act For Nutrition: The Emergency We Can No Longer Ignore', commenced at Islamabad's Serena Hotel. The event sought to tackle Pakistan's ongoing nutrition and stunting crisis. Earlier, experts had warned that over 40% of children under five were stunted and malnutrition cost the country approximately $17 billion annually.

This malnutrition stemmed from poor diets, insufficient healthcare, weak water and sanitation services, poverty, and other factors, necessitating a multi-sectoral response. The conference brought together policymakers, international development leaders, health professionals, and nutrition experts to address the rising crisis and spur urgent, coordinated action.

During the opening remarks, government adviser Adnan Pasha Siddiqui highlighted that the lack of investment in nutrition was detrimental to Pakistan's GDP. He stressed that every rupee withheld from a pregnant woman's diet equated to a deduction from the country's future gross domestic product. Siddiqui emphasized that nutrition was fragmented across various sectors in Pakistan, costing the nation $17 billion annually.

He also pointed out that South Asia suffered from suppressed labor productivity due to malnutrition, which posed a threat to Pakistan's sovereign credit profile.

Sara Shahzad, a World Bank official, explained that the World Bank had a 10-year partnership framework with the government of Pakistan, focusing on six priority areas, including stunting reduction. She noted that 30-40% of stunting occurred before a child's birth, making the first 1,000 days and adolescence particularly critical.

Dr. Ali Mir, the country director for the Population Council, emphasized the need for consistent population planning in Pakistan, noting the country's previous mistakes stemming from wavering political commitment and policy inconsistency. Dr. Saima Hamid, a programme and research lead at the Population Council, pointed out that Pakistan's population growth rate was 2.55%, leading to a population doubling in 28 years.

She stressed that nutrition was not an isolated issue, as it intersected with food security, health, and purchasing power.