Strong govt and NGO partnerships can redefine 'nutrition' for Smart bangladesh: Experts

The opening day of the three-day International Symposium on Nutrition Governance for Food System Transformation 2024 in Rangpur focused on 'Nutrition Governance: JANO's Contribution to the Implementation of NPAN2 and the Local-Level Nutrition Governance Mechanism'.

The first-day sessions featured experience sharing and discussions among donors on the way forward for further development of nutrition governance, reads a press release.

The international symposium on nutrition governance was jointly hosted by the Bangladesh National Nutrition Council (BNNC), the Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU) of the Ministry of Food, and the Joint Action for Nutrition Outcomes (JANO) and was led by CARE Bangladesh.

The three-day conference aims to demonstrate the learning and way forward of the Joint Action for Nutrition Outcomes (JANO) initiative and the EU's Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) program, CARE's JANO consortium, in collaboration with the Bangladesh National Nutrition Council (BNNC) and the Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU) of the Ministry of Food Bangladesh.

The opening of symposium began with the welcome remarks of CARE Bangladesh Country Director Ram Das, who emphasised the need for a robust governance framework that integrates nutrition in all sectors of development.

This was followed by the speech of the special guest, Bangladesh National Nutrition Council (BNNC) Director General (In-Charge) Dr Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, who focused on the successful outcomes of the JANO Project in Rangpur and Nilphamari, emphasising the need for its extension to other parts of the country.

His speech encouraged further development of nutrition governance mechanisms at the local level, leveraging the experiences and contributions of JANO.

The storybook, unveiled during the event, chronicles the inspiring journey of the JANO project.

Dr Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal, Civil Surgeon (Acting) and Member Secretary, DNCC, Nilphamari, appreciated the long-term collaboration with JANO and expressed confidence that the people from his area would never be misguided regarding nutrition knowledge due to JANO's activities.

Professor Dr Md Hasibur Rashid, Vice Chancellor, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, highlighted the importance of having both healthy and knowledgeable citizens, emphasising that the work being done in Nilphamari and Rangpur is crucial for achieving these goals.

Dr Md Shahid Uz Zaman, Executive Director, ESDO, acknowledged the challenges of multisectoral coordination and appreciated BNNC's efforts in overcoming these challenges, though noting that there is still a long way to go to eradicate nutrition challenges.

JANO has played a significant role in promoting multisectoral and building synergies among the key actors of Nutrition Governance in Bangladesh. The implementing partners of the FNS Program have supported several governmental departments including eight ministries and numerous agencies to deliver their nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive activities.

Margherita Capalbi, Programme Manager – Agriculture and Rural Development, Food and Nutrition Security, Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh, mentioned that introducing climate-smart techniques and practices has significantly reduced the risk of crop failure and food shortages.

Many high-level government officials, donors, experts in international development, journalists, business leaders from the private sector, FNS program partners, practitioners, academics, and journalists attended the symposium.