Vientiane.- At the 2nd International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), jointly organized by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO), Lao People’s Democratic Republic joins other nations in the world to reaffirm its commitments to address today’s major nutrition challenges and enhance international cooperation on nutrition.

In her opening remarks, H.E Dr. Inlavanh Keobounphanh, the Vice Minister of Health and head of the Lao delegation, endorsed the Rome Declaration on Nutrition which calls for a common vision for global action to end all forms of malnutrition, and supported the strong emphasis on moving commitments to action.

"Political will in Lao PDR is significantly strong at the highest level in the Government toward solving malnutrition. The reduction of malnutrition is being placed as a major priority in the eighth National Social and Economic Development Plan for 2016-2020"declared Dr. Inlavanh.

The Vice-Minister of health also recognized the significant challenges the country faced in the high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, in achieving the MDG one target on nutrition and the country exiting LDC status by 2020.

Stunting in children remains one of the biggest challenges in Lao PDR with an estimated 44 per cent of children under five years of age who are stunted. WHO in close collaboration with 1000 days, has developed a series of six policy briefs linked to each of the six global 2025 nutrition targets (i.e stunting, anaemia in women of reproductive age, low birth weight, wasting, overweight and exclusive breastfeeding) which were adopted by the 65th World Health Assembly in 2012. These policy briefs will be launched at the ICN2.

"Recognizing how these six targets are interlinked, these six policy briefs will consolidate evidence around which interventions and areas of investment need to be scaled up, and to guide decision makers on what actions needed to be taken, in order to achieve real progress towards improving maternal, infant and young child nutrition" said Dr. Juliet Fleischl, WHO Representative to Lao PDR.

ICN2 is taking place at FAO Headquarters in Rome from 19-21 November. The event brings together delegations of senior national policymakers from agriculture, health and experts from international agencies, as well as non-governmental and private sector organizations.

The FAO office in Lao PDR recognized the country’s increasing investment and institutional arrangements for addressing food and nutrition security challenges.

"The Lao government expects to overcome the challenge of malnutrition through multi-sectoral mechanisms and responses, such as the National Nutrition Committee and the Multi-sectoral Food and Nutrition Security Action Plan. We will continue to assist the government within these mechanisms, supporting policies with clear food security and nutrition goals, targets and benchmarks, such as the FAO-supported national nutrition policy, strategy and action plan" said Dr. Stephen Rudgard, FAO Representative to Lao PDR.

As the first global intergovernmental conference organized to address the world’s nutrition problems in the 2lst century, ICN2 gathers high-level political commitment to keep nutrition on the top of national development agendas and the post-2015 UN development agenda.

All participating governments to the ICN2 are urged to support the Rome Declaration on Nutrition and an accompanying technical Framework for Action to guide its implementation.