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More than 170 countries will participate in the program to prevent hunger, obesity and malnutrition
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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At the 2nd International Conference on Nutrition in the World, held in Rome, about 200 countries adopted recommendations in the field of investment and policy to ensure the population's access to healthy and regular nutrition.
At the conference, the participants approved the Declaration on Nutrition and adopted recommendations on the elimination of nutrition problems among the population.
According to the declaration, each person has the right to the required amount of healthy and safe food, while the government undertakes to prevent the lack of minerals and nutrients in foods, as well as obesity and hunger.
The recommendations stipulate that, first of all, the responsibility for eliminating food problems rests with the ruling bodies of the country. The program contains sixty items that can be included in plans for nutrition, agriculture, education, etc. In addition, the recommendations can be used as a basis for the development of international agreements to improve nutrition around the world.
According to the head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, now there is enough information, experience and opportunities that are needed to eliminate inadequate and unhealthy nutrition.
The government should play a leading role in this, and the combined efforts of both the private sector and public organizations should be an incentive to improve the diet.
The declaration adopted in Rome will be the starting point on the path to improving nutrition for all without exception.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that at this stage it is necessary to work with redoubled force, in addition, he promised support from the United Nations.
Margaret Chan (WHO Director General) noted that currently the world's production systems produce the required number of products, but at the same time there are problems in the health sector.
Some people do not have access to the required number of products, which leads to a shortage of trace elements and minerals, diseases and death.
At the same time, in other parts of the world, there is an excessive amount of food, which leads to the development of obesity and the diseases associated with it.
The recommendations provide for a reporting mechanism, including tracking progress that the country has achieved in improving nutrition.
By 2025, the participating countries of the conference need to show the results achieved during this period, incl. Improving the nutrition of nursing mothers, children under 2 years old, reducing the level of diseases (cancer, diabetes, infectious diseases, heart and vascular disease).
Healthy nutrition for the population will help to ensure established agro-industrial complexes, and the ruling bodies should strongly encourage the production of nutritious food, in addition, the government's responsibility is to control the safety of food.
The Declaration was developed with the participation of representatives from WHO and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. All countries participating in the conference recognized that since 1992, when the first conference was held, progress in improving nutrition was imperfect, even despite some successes in fighting hunger.
Over the past 20 years, the hunger rate on the planet has decreased by 21%, but in the world and now continue to experience a shortage of products of about a billion people, which leads to depletion, growth and development delay, the development of diseases associated with nutritional deficiencies. Every year about three million children under the age of five die from malnutrition.
According to statistics, more than two billion people suffer from hidden forms of hunger (lack of nutrients and microelements), in addition, the number of people suffering from obesity continues to increase rapidly in the world, about 42 million children under 5 already have extra pounds, which is negatively reflected on their health.
According to statistics, about half of the world's population suffers from some form of malnutrition.
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