Kathmandu, October 14

The government is set  to hold a global conference here in the capital from November 4 to 7, inviting as many as 1,000 delegates of 80 countries in a bid to meet the nutrition standards.

The government will co-host the event with the support of global movement called Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN), of which Nepal is a member country. There are 61 SUN member countries in the world and they have been working collaboratively since 2010 to end all forms of malnutrition.

The global gathering will be joined by the heads of state and the government, including the leaders from UN agencies, regional organisations, civil society, donors, and the private sector. National Planning Commission, issuing a press release, stated that Nepal had achieved remarkable progress in reducing malnutrition ever since the country joined the SUN Movement in 2011.

The event will showcase the efforts being made to eliminate all forms of malnutrition, including under-nutrition and obesity, and formulate new plans and programmes to combat the problems in future.

“Good nutrition is the key to reducing inequality and eliminating poverty for everyone,” reads the press release. It further states that nearly half of all child deaths occur due to malnutrition while poor diet is a leading risk factor for child death worldwide.

Nepal’s National Plan is in line with the set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals  adopted by the UN, in particular with SDG 1, eradicating poverty and SDG 2 ending hunger and malnutrition.

The NPC claimed that the global conference would help in attaining these goals as well. National Action Plan 2016-2025 has made a plan to meet the zero hunger initiative.