Action plan mooted to reduce maternal and child malnutrition

Speaker of Parliament, Chamal Rajapaksa launched the country’s first-ever Multi-sectoral Action Plan to reduce maternal and child malnutrition in the country.

The three-year Action Plan on Nutrition sets targets and milestones to reduce the prevalence of under-nutrition, anaemia and stunting amongst key population groups, as well as to improve food security and provide access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene to households-at-risk. The plan will be implemented through 17 ministries in close collaboration with civil society, non-governmental organisations with the support from the UN family.

“We congratulate the Government for putting the issue of nutrition at the top of the national agenda,” said. UNICEF Representative to Sri Lanka Una McCauley, representing the UN System at the launch in Monoragala. “We remain committed to working with all sectors to ensure that the targets set in the plan become a tangible reality for children and their families in the near future,” she said.

While Sri Lanka has made tremendous progress in improving several maternal and child indicators, under-nutrition still poses a major challenge. Nearly one quarter of all children under-five are underweight, while one in seven children is stunted – shorter than s/he should be for his or her height. Disparities exist between districts and regions, with children in the central and eastern provinces more at risk.

“We need to place emphasis on the nutritional value of diets and encourage better consumption practices, said FAO’s Representative to Sri Lanka, Beth Crawford, “as better nutrition can help alleviate poverty and reduce social inequities.”News.lk