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Rwanda holds First National Summit on Nutrition
UN congratulates bold move to make eliminating malnutrition the agenda of all sectors
KIGALI, 24 November 2009 – At the opening of the nation’s First National Summit on Nutrition, attended by the Minister of Health and Lady Ida Odinga, wife of the Kenyan Prime Minister, in her capacity as a nutrition champion, the United Nations in Rwanda emphasizing the importance of nutrition as key to achieving many of the Millennium Development Goals.
“We would like to congratulate the President and Government of Rwanda for recent efforts to address severe malnutrition in Rwanda,” said acting UN Resident Coordinator Elisabeth Balepa. “And we would like to pledge our continuing support in assisting the Government scale-up integrated community based nutrition programmes throughout the country,” she added.
This Summit, which brings together over 300 experts, researchers, hospital directors and technicians in the field of nutrition, agriculture, economics and food security, was organized by the Ministry of Health in conjunction with a variety of partners, including the UN in Rwanda, to raise the profile of nutrition issues and move forward in improving cross sector programmes to eliminate malnutrition in Rwanda.
Globally, more than 200 million children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition. Malnutrition also contributes to more than a third of all deaths in children under five. Malnutrition is both a consequence and a cause of poverty. Childhood malnutrition makes learning more difficult and ill health more likely, which impedes a child’s capacity to earn as an adult and reproduces the cycle of inter-generational poverty and under nutrition.
In Rwanda, 45 per cent of children under five are chronically malnourished or stunted. Stunting is often permanent and non-reversible - the only solution is prevention.
“It is paradoxical,” said the Minister of Health, Dr. Richard Sezibera, in his opening remarks. “that Rwanda has enough food to feed its children and yet we have cases of acute malnutrition. This proves that malnutrition is not just about the lack of food, but feeding practices, water, sanitation, hygiene and food security – all which contribute to good nutrition,” he added.
Good nutritional status requires disease control, proper care, family planning, appropriate governmental policies, awareness raising campaigns, and emergency plans, all aimed at creating a nutritional safety net.
The Minister said: “Rwanda is determined to identify and treat all acutely malnourished children, men or women in our country and attack malnutrition in a cross sectoral manner that enables all districts in this country to develop their own multi-sectoral and multi-pronged plan of action,” he emphasized.
Rwanda has recently begun implementing a national plan to address all forms of malnutrition, including deficiencies of macro and micronutrients for all ages.
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About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.
For more information, please contact:
Misbah M. Sheikh, UNICEF Kigali
Tel + 250 252 59 27 00
Email: msheikh@unicef.org
Saira Saeed Khan, UNICEF New York,
Tel + 1 212 326 7224,
E-mail sskhan@unicef.org
