DILI, 14 May 2023 (TATOLI) – The representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Timor-Leste, Munkhtuya Altangerel, said that the UNDP will work closely with the next parliament and the government to prioritize the fight against malnutrition and multidimensional poverty in the country.
She said that UNDP will continue to support the next government in combating malnutrition in the coming years.
“We need to prioritize the fight against malnutrition and multidimensional poverty,” Altangerel told reporters after meeting with House Speaker, Aniceto Guterres Lopes, at the National Parliament, in Dili, today.
Altangerel hoped that the new UNDP representative would continue to cooperate with the next government to combat malnutrition and poverty.
“We will continue working with the new parliament. We look forward to deep structural and reform agendas for the people so that the young people, the women, and the communities can benefit from them and can be also lifted out from the multidimensional poverty and address challenging issues such as malnutrition, other aspects of Covid recovery, and sustainable economic development,” she said.
On september 29, 2022, the Ministry of Health allocated $10 million to combat malnutrition in the country.
Timor-Leste Food and Nutrition Survey 2020 shows that with almost every second child being stunted (47.1 percent of children under five years of age), Timor-Leste has the third highest prevalence of stunting and is among the only three countries in which at least half of children below 5 are stunted.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
