Improving nutrition is essential for human capital development: Speakers

Speakers at a workshop said that Bangladesh has made major improvements in the health, nutrition and population sector, but malnutrition in all its forms among children and women still remains high.

The Cabinet Division, Bangladesh National Nutrition Council, and United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Sunday (July 30) held a dissemination workshop on the findings and recommendations of the review of nutrition and gender sensitivity of social security programmes.

The review is part of a joint project, Promoting Nutrition Sensitive Social Security programme, led by the Cabinet Division, with the support of WFP.

It aims to strengthen the coordination and collaboration among the line ministries, divisions and departments implementing social security programmes, said the WFP.

While Bangladesh has made major improvements in the health, nutrition and population sector, malnutrition in all its forms among children and women still remains high.

With the adoption of the National Social Security Strategy adopted in 2015, social security programmes have become the Government’s principal vehicles in addressing and improving food and nutrition security.

“Good nutrition ensures that children can develop to their full physical and cognitive potential, and adults can perform optimally. Improving nutrition is, therefore, essential for human capital development,” said Md. Mahbub Hossain, Cabinet Secretary of the Government of Bangladesh.

The Cabinet Secretary also added that “To sustain the economic growth, we must depend more and more on quality and efficiency of our human resources. We must consider all necessary steps to make our programmes more nutrition and gender focused to get maximum benefit from it.”

The review shows that social protection programmes offer multiple ways for safeguarding nutrition for citizens from lower wealth quintile through addressing multiple underlying causes, such as education, poverty and women empowerment.

It is, therefore, imperative that these programmes adequately integrate nutrition considerations into their objectives, targets, actions, and monitoring mechanisms. Creating awareness on nutritious food consumption is another important component highlighted in the review’s recommendations said by Dr. Hasan Shahriar Kabir, Director General, Bangladesh National Nutrition Council.

“Nutrition and gender-sensitive social protection programmes, such as the Mother and Child Benefit Programme and the Vulnerable Women Benefit Programme, play a crucial role in addressing malnutrition and gender inequality, both major obstacles for development,” said Dom Scalpelli, WFP Resident Representative and Country Director in Bangladesh.

“This review is a great opportunity to see social protection programmes through a nutrition and gender lens. WFP pledges its continued support to the Government in promoting nutrition and gender-sensitive social security programmes to serve the most vulnerable population,” added Scalpelli.