The Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan with the support of UNICEF organized the third Annual Regional Nutrition Capacity Development and Partnerships platform meeting.

The experts from the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, including representatives of ministries of health, national managers responsible for nutrition programs, scientists and development partners (UNICEF, WHO, FAO, WEP and Global GII Network) participated in the meeting.

Turkmenistan has been charging this regional forum since 2021. The regional platform, launched in 2018, provides an opportunity for Member States and UN agencies in the region to come together to collectively call for action on the nutrition agenda.

As noted, the UNICEF Deputy Representative in Turkmenistan Alexandru Nartea, this forum is a systematic mechanism focused on cross-border partnership to strengthen capacity, leadership and policy in the field of nutrition in the sub-region.

“We thank the eight countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus for joining forces within this platform and for their commitment to further improve child nutrition”, he stressed.

The participants of the forum got acquainted with the nutrition of children in Central Asia and the Caucasus, including at preschool and school age, and also with the process of universal salt iodization in the sub-region. Questions were raised about strategies of food service workers in the progress made, the participants identified priorities and approved a two-year action plan for 2022-2023, reported on the website of the UNICEF Country Office in Turkmenistan.

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