'Over 40% of children, women face malnutrition'

Role of academia, in addressing nutrition challenges stressed

FAISALABAD:

Punjab Higher Education Commission Chairperson Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan has called for greater involvement of academia, research institutions and development partners in tackling malnutrition, which affects more than 40% of children and women in Pakistan amid persistent poverty and food insecurity.

He was addressing the concluding session of a two-day international conference organised by the Pak-Korea Nutrition Center (PKNC) at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) under the theme "Advancing Nutrition through Partnerships & Policy" at the Centre for Advanced Studies.

Prof Iqrar said the PKNC had a rich history of achievements, initially focusing on agricultural production, supply-side interventions and the One Health approach. However, it soon became clear that increasing production alone was insufficient in a country where more than 40 per cent of the population faced malnutrition.

This realisation prompted the centre to incorporate a dedicated nutrition component into its vision, he said, adding that the PKNC had laid a strong foundation for capacity building, reducing food waste and developing practical solutions to address pressing societal challenges.

Dean of the UAF Faculty of Food, Nutrition and Home Sciences Prof Dr Imran Pasha stressed the need for a coordinated national strategy involving federal and provincial departments, universities, research institutions and international development partners to address emerging nutritional challenges.

He proposed establishing a Centre of Excellence in Nutrition at the UAF to strengthen research, policy development and institutional collaboration.

He also called for improved monitoring of food environments to generate evidence for developing healthy food policies, particularly in settings that influence children's food choices.

Emphasising the need for a comprehensive life-course approach, he said child and community nutrition should be integrated with efforts to prevent non-communicable diseases.

Dr Imran voiced hope that the conference recommendations would provide a practical framework for the next phase of the PKNC and further strengthen cooperation between Pakistan and South Korea.

Dr Arif Rehman, Chief of the Food and Agriculture Section at the Planning Commission of Pakistan; Sodam Baek, Deputy Country Director of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA); Dr Jaehan Kim, Project Manager Consultant; Dr Benish Israr and others attended the event.