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National News
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WFP head hails India's innovative hunger solutions
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Posted online: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at 5:27:05 PM
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New Delhi, Dec.16 : The Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Josette Sheeran, today praised the close co-operation between the Government of India and WFP in pioneering innovative hunger solutions to combat global malnutrition.
"Hunger is on the march globally," said Josette Sheeran in New Delhi today. "In the face of the global financial crisis and the high price of food, we must all redouble our efforts to fight malnutrition throughout the world. India can be a pace-setter in helping bring an end to malnutrition and hunger. We can harness the expertise available in India to come up with products and initiatives that will save the lives of children, not just here but around the world."
Sheeran, who began her first official visit to India yesterday, said WFP had worked closely with government ministries on pilot initiatives to tackle malnutrition in some of India's most food-insecure states. She said the solutions, which include a new supplementary feeding product, could have implications for food assistance programmes across the world.
WFP has pledged to support the Government in its campaign to achieve a 'hunger free India'. India is home to more than 230 million undernourished people - the highest number for any one country in the world. More than one quarter of the global population of malnourished people live in India. It is estimated that 43 per cent of children under five years in India are underweight. Malnutrition is believed to account for nearly half of all child deaths in this country.
WFP is currently developing a 'smart' nutritional intervention for children of 6 - 24 months. Adequate nutrition for this age group is vital for their physical and cognitive development. Designed for India, this new, ready-to-use fortified food has already provoked interest elsewhere in Asia and in Africa.
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