Kathmandu, November 5: The fifth international conference on nutrition kicked off here in the capital yesterday. In a video message on the occasion, President Bidya Devi Bhandari said nutrition has significance in carrying out economic social transformation in Nepal. Stating that Nepal has been implementing the multi-sectoral nutrition plan, the President stressed the need for the state to provide a nutritious diet to mothers and infants. “Country’s goals of sustainable development will be achieved only after increasing investment in nutrition”, she said.
The conference was inaugurated jointly by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ishwor Pokharel and Vice President of Ivory Coast Daniel Kablan Duncan. Addressing the inaugural session, DPM Pokharel said the government was enforcing the Sustainable Development Goals that include nutritious food for all after making special action plans. The government has adopted the goals of ‘Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepalis’ for socio-economic transformation of the country, he stated. The government has put forward various programmes related to nutrition and food security under the Poverty Alleviation Programme and focused on modernization of agriculture as well, he said.
Likewise, Vice-Chairperson of the National Planning Commission Dr Pushpa Raj Kandel said efforts were underway to achieve goal of transforming Nepal into a developing country, and programmes related to nutrition and food security were being implemented in all seven states. Organised for the first time in Nepal across South Asia, as many as 1,200 delegates including from Nepal are attending the four-day conference. The delegates are from high-level political sector, policymakers, NGO, INGO representatives and nutrition experts.
As the first day session, the delegates associated with scaling of nutrition campaign from international community participated. There would be different 25 working sessions in the course of the conference. The conference will issue a Kathmandu declaration. Nepal is participating from the very beginning of the conference.
