NAIROBI, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations agencies, under the umbrella of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, on Tuesday launched a joint nutrition program with the Kenyan government to confront malnutrition and improve the livelihoods of children in the country.
The program being led by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will address food insecurity, hygiene and sanitation, safe drinking water, health and education.
Shaheen Nilofer, UNICEF representative to Kenya, said that enhanced governance will ensure the delivery of quality nutrition services and sustainable multi-sectoral nutrition programs.
"We intend to improve access to food and nutrition interventions for food insecure populations in Kenya," Nilofer said during the joint program's launch in Kenya's capital of Nairobi.
The UNICEF official noted that the joint program aims to tackle the root causes of the triple burden of malnutrition in Kenya, which is stunting, wasting and obesity, rather than treating the symptoms.
In addition, the UN and Kenya plan to support and improve access to nutrition interventions for people in informal and humanitarian settings, Nilofer said.
Mary Muriuki, principal secretary of the Ministry of Health, stressed that partnerships are key to eliminating childhood malnutrition in Kenya, where stunting among children below five years of age declined from 40 percent in 1993 to 18 percent in 2022.
Kenya's emergency response systems have been strengthened, enabling the country to avert the death of acutely malnourished children, according to Muriuki.
The collaborative effort, which is also funded by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the World Food Program, and the UN Refugee Agency, has a budget of 52.6 million U.S. dollars and will operate from 2023 to 2026.
It is expected to scale up high-impact, low-cost nutrition interventions, enhance governance and multi-sectoral coordination, strengthen capacity at county and community levels, and build resilience against climate shocks and emergencies.
The project will guarantee equitable access to integrated nutrition services, prioritizing women, children, and marginalized populations in semi-arid regions and informal urban settlements. ■
