Nourishing South Asia Reports

There has been progress in improving maternal and child nutrition in South Asia. However, the region remains a global epicentre of undernourished women and children, especially among those living in poor and marginalized households. At the same time, overweight and obesity are on the rise in every country in the region. The changing face of malnutrition requires agile strategies that are guided by the most recent evidence on gaps, trends, determinants, lessons, and opportunities. 

In 2022, UNICEF South Asia developed the fllagship "Nourishing South Asia @2030" regional framework to accelerate nutrition results in the region. 

• This ambitious framework is anchored on three priorities: (1) girls and women’s nutrition and prevention of low birth weight; (2) early detection and care for most vulnerable children; and (3) improving children’s access to nutritious foods.
• To drive these priorities forward, UNICEF South Asia employs five key strategies: (1) technical leadership; (2) strategic partnerships; (3) capacity building; (4) systematic advocacy; and (5) knowledge generation and sharing.  

The flagship regional framework, aims to accelerate nutrition results in the region through knowledge generation and sharing. This flagship Nourishing South Asia Report series is a collection of UNICEF reports, and practical companion documents to help bridge key knowledge gaps impeding policy and programme action and highlight new approaches. 

The series explores the following topics:

1. national legal measures to protect breastfeeding;

2. the power of women’s groups and movements to improve nutritional outcomes;

3. how to enhance maternal, infant, and young child nutrition counselling services;

4. overweight and obesity among children and adolescents;

5. nutrition of adolescent girls;

6. anemia in women- before, during, and after pregnancy.