INDIA ENGAGES WITH GLOBAL EVIDENCE ON MATERNAL AND CHILD NUTRITION: 2013 LANCET LAUNCH IN INDIA

With the goal of inspiring political commitment and engaging key stakeholders in a dialogue about opportunities for progress in nutrition in India, the 2013 Lancet Series on Maternal and Child Nutrition was launched in New Delhi on Friday, 28 June, 2013.  The event was hosted by the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and the Coalition for Sustainable Nutrition Security in India, and supported by the International Food Policy Research Institute and the Micronutrient Initiative. Five years after the initial series in 2008, the authors of the Series re-evaluated the problems of maternal and child undernutrition and considered the growing problems of overweight and obesity for women and children and their consequences in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs).  This Series also included papers on nutrition-sensitive intervention areas for nutrition and on building commitment for nutrition.

The Lancet launch in India sought to engage key stakeholders in nutrition to consider the challenges and opportunities for improving nutrition in India.  The event featured presentations of the Series paper, an engaging panel discussion and an open dialogue with the audience. POSHAN Co-Director Purnima Menon and Micronutrient Initiative President Venkatesh Mannar, both Series co-authors, have written an impassioned and personal call-to-action for India to use this new evidence to benefit current and future generations of Indian children faced with malnutrition. Click here to read their blog post.

Other related content:

• "From Traction to Action", TransformNutrition blog post by Stuart Gillespie
• "G8, build political will to overcome malnutrition", IFPRI Food Policy Blog post by Stuart Gillespie and Marie Ruel
• "Food for politics", in the Indian Express Op-ed, by Harold Alderman and Purnima Menon
• "Impact that lasts a lifetime", Op-ed in the Ottawa Citizen by Venkatesh Mannar and Sue Horton
• "Unpalatable Truths", Op-ed in the Hindustani Times by K Srinath Reddy