DILI, 3 December 2022 (TATOLI)- United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Coordinator Gerda Verburg lauds progress and calls for increased coordination and resourcing to address high levels of malnutrition in children and mothers.
The request was made by Gerda Verburg after concluding her week-long visit to Timor-Leste.
During the time of her visits, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Coordinator, Gerda Verburg, met national leaders and key partners to discuss actions to improve the nutrition of the most vulnerable in Timor-Leste, especially women and children.
Ms. Verburg met the President of the Republic of Timor Leste, H. E. Dr. José Ramos Horta, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Timor Leste, H. E. Taur Matan Ruak, Speaker of the National Parliament, H. E. Aniceto Guterres Lopes and Parliamentarians, Political leaders, Ministers of Agriculture and Health and the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as United Nations agencies, heads of mission of bilateral cooperation agencies, development partners, civil society organizations and private sector, youth, and academia representatives.
In addition, Ms. Verburg and her delegation took part in a round-table discussion with members of the National Food Security, Sovereignty, and Nutrition Council in Timor-Leste (KONSSANTIL), as well as several television talk shows and media interviews. She also undertook visits to see some of the key actions by the government and partners to reduce malnutrition in children, adolescents, mothers, and families, including the Breastfeeding Café at the Guido Valadares National Hospital, a school feeding program in Manleuana and the Comoro Community Health Centre.
Mrs. Verburg’s visit culminated in a half-day seminar during which a joint commitment to support the implementation of the national SDG 2 Consolidated National Action Plan on Nutrition and Food Security (SDG 2 CNAP-NFS) was signed by high-level members of the government, donors, United Nations agencies and civil society and private sector, academia, and youth representatives.
“I praise the government’s strong determination to invest in people. Now that the planning, costing and research have been done, the government and its partners need to move towards implementation in every municipality and every village where the most vulnerable people are,” said Mrs. Verburg.
“Winning the war on food and nutrition insecurity requires more than a program; it requires commitment and concerted action from all the partners to work together as one. Timor-Leste has a clear road map; let it be a road map for action”, she added.
Addressing malnutrition in Timor Leste, including stunting, which affects one out of every two children, starts with prevention. The crucial first 1000 days of a child, from conception to the second birthday define not only health and resilience but also cognitive hardware. If the brain does not develop well, the child will be stunted for the rest of his life, and stunted children create stunting economies, hampering a country’s potential to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
In this fight against stunting, every sector, from health to agriculture and fisheries, education, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Social Solidarity and Inclusion, Transport, and Communications has a role to play.
“All 18 priorities of the SDG 2 CNAP-NFS complement each other, fostering a much-needed collective approach under which each sector has a precise set of actions to lead on, from promoting healthy and nutritious diets and ensuring every child is exclusively breastfed during their first six months, to supporting school feeding,” said Filipe Da Costa, Special Delegate for Nutrition and Food Security Coordination – Prime Minister’s Office and SUN Focal Point for Timor Leste.
“The SUN Movement Timor-Leste will help the partners work together, in every village, to allow every mother and every child not only to survive but to thrive and live healthy and productive lives,” he added.
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