Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien speaks at the ceremony to launch the on January 31 (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – A ceremony was held in Hanoi on January 31 to launch the
Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement in Vietnam and the implementation of the
Prime Minister’s directive on nutrition enhancement.
The event aimed to affirm the country’s strong
commitment to improving public health and nutrition.
In her speech, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim
Tien said the nutrition status of Vietnamese people has been improved over the
past years. The country was assessed as a highlight in achieving the Millennium
Development Goals, especially the continuous and sustainable reduction of the malnutrition
rate among under-five children, from 31.9 percent in 2001 to 13.8 percent in
2016.
However, Vietnam is also facing an array of
challenges, she noted, elaborating that the rate remains high, at 24.3
percent, and the rate of overweight and obesity is rising rapidly, especially
in urban areas. While micronutrient deficiency hasn’t been improved, unbalanced
diet has increased risks of non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular
diseases, diabetes, and metabolic disorder, Tien added.
In January 2014, the country officially took
part in the United Nations’ SUN Movement. It also committed to implementing the
Sustainable Development Goals, including the goal on ending hunger,
achieving food security and improved nutrition and
promoting sustainable agriculture. In November 2017, Vietnam signed the
ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Ending all Forms of Malnutrition.
Tien said the Ministry of Health will make
nutrition recommendations for specific groups and encourage the use of local
food and food that suits the taste of people in each region. It will strive to
curb malnutrition, and overweight and prioritise
nutritional care for children in the first 1,000 days.
The
ministry will also enhance coordination with relevant ministries and agencies
to promote communication activities to raise public awareness of reasonable
nutrition.
The SUN Movement is a renewed global effort to
eliminate all forms of malnutrition based on the principle that everyone has a
right to food but also good nutrition. It aims to connect all people from the
Government, social organisations, sponsors, businesses, and researchers in a
bid to improve nutrition. Fifty-seven countries and two Indian states have
committed to scale up their nutrition efforts.-VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
