Pakistan: State of Food Security and Nutrition
Author: Daniel Valenghi, project officer Global Programme Food Security, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia
After over 53 years, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) phased out its bilateral cooperation (south cooperation and humanitarian aid) from Pakistan. Switzerland remains present in the country, with the Embassy of Switzerland in Islamabad, and continues to contribute towards the development through its global programs and the multilateral institutions. The Swiss humanitarian aid through its global mandate remains available in case of human or natural disasters. Among the last activities supported by SDC in Pakistan is the contribution to the first ever “Pakistan State of Food Security and Nutrition Report”1.
Regular monitoring of Pakistan’s food security and nutrition situation can support effective policy. This report is one part of a holistic food security and nutrition information system for the country. Its objective is to support a well-informed, action-oriented dialogue about food security and nutrition, relevant to decision makers responsible for the health and wellbeing of Pakistan’s rapidly growing population. As a joint publication, it is a compilation of the information and understanding we have in 2019 of the problem of food insecurity and malnutrition, where and why it is most prevalent, what needs further analysis and what the most promising pathways are to the eventual eradication of hunger and malnutrition. This compilation is a stepping-stone to evidence-based formulation of positive solutions and concerted actions to correct pervasive hunger and malnutrition. Pakistan is facing a major challenge of meeting food security and nutrition targets, such as defined in the Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030).
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