Three-day international meet on double burden of malnutrition held under the auspices of PHRN, PHM-Global, PHM-India, WPHNA, NSF, IIFPRI and BPNI aims to raise and debate important issues that underlie high levels of malnutrition
The three-day international conference on ‘Critical Public Health Consequences of the Double Burden of Malnutrition and the Changing Food Environment in South and South East Asia’ to be held at India International Centre, New Delhi, between March 28 to 30. Over 250 participants, including policy makers, activists, practitioners, members of academia, researchers and media personnel from 13 countries, will share a common platform to raise and debate important issues that underlie these high levels of malnutrition. Participants will include policy makers, activists, academics and researchers, who have a significant role in shaping the food and nutrition policy landscape in South and South East Asia. The conference is also expected to enhance collaboration among professionals engaged in various sectors such as communicable and non-communicable diseases, nutrition, water and sanitation, dietetics, food sciences, agriculture, economics, environment, etc.
The keynote speakers include Prof Carlos Monteiro, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Fiorella Espinosa, El Poder del Consumidor, Mexico and Dr P Sainath, People’s Archive of Rural India, India, who are the keynote speakers. Dr Vandana Prasad, National Convenor, Public Health Resource Network is the Conference Convener.
The conference aims to connect evidence regarding the prevalence of both under nutrition and ‘over-nutrition’, as well as the associations between nutrition and disease, policy and programme responses. It will look at catalysing civil society action to support community-based efforts to reshape the food and nutrition policy landscape. Through the meet, global and regional policy makers, academics, researchers, nutrition advocates and activists will gather on a common platform to support development and implementation of policies and programmes that promote better public health, nutrition and the control of communicable and non-communicable diseases. The conference is also expected to enhance collaboration among professionals engaged in various sectors such as communicable and non-communicable diseases, nutrition, water and sanitation, dietetics, food sciences, agriculture, economics, environment, etc.
The topics and themes to be discussed will include a wide range like Laws and policies relatedto nutrition,food systems, Land reform and access to land, agricultural policies, food production and processingand their impact,role and regulation of agribusiness, food andbeverages corporations and corporations whichpromote breastmilk substitutes and infant formula, current challenges and positive actions to address them, technical issues related to nutrition and disease consequences, strategizing around advocacy and social mobilization on issues related tomalnutrition and so on.
Dr Prasad said,“We are in the throes of a pervasive food insecurity and undernutrition, and also at the brink of an obesity epidemic. Both have dire consequences upon health and need to be tackled head-on with urgency.”
Seconding the opinion, Leni Chaudhari, Vice President, Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation said,“This conference is bringing together policy makers, activists, academics and researchers, who have a significant role in shaping the food and nutrition policy landscape in South and South East Asia. We will brainstorm and find ways to inform key policy makers and researchers of the latest evidence regarding the prevalence of both under nutrition and ‘over-nutrition’, as well as the associations between nutrition and disease, the drivers of these unacceptable levels of malnutrition and appropriate policy and programme responses.”
Dr Arun Gupta, Regional Coordinator, International Baby Food Action Network – Asia, said, “This conference has at its core the aim of supporting effective development and implementation of policies and programmes that promote better public health, nutrition and the control of communicable and non-communicable diseases.”