Remarks at the 3rd National Nutrition Forum

Acknowledgements:

• The Rt. Hon. Minister Prime Minister, 
• Hon. Cabinet Ministers 
• Representatives from Ministries, Departments and Agencies
• Representatives of the Nutrition Academic and Research Network in Uganda 
• Representatives of Nutrition Development Partners in Uganda 
• Representatives of the Nutrition Civil Society Network in Uganda
• Representatives of the Nutrition Business network in Uganda
• Media Representatives,
• Invited Guests
• Ladies and Gentlemen

It is a pleasure to be here today on behalf of the Local Development Partners Group (LDPG) in Uganda at this 3rd National Nutrition Forum. This forum provides a unique opportunity for all of us collectively as Development Partners to reflect on sustainability of multi-sectoral actions for Nutrition. 

The LDPG coordinates Development Partners’ engagement with the Government of Uganda on overall issues related to development cooperation at the policy and programme levels. On Nutrition, I gratefully acknowledge the significant contributions of our donors whose generous financial, technical, and strategic support has been instrumental in advancing Uganda’s national nutrition agenda. Through support to policy and targeted programmes that focus on reducing malnutrition—such as school feeding initiatives and enhanced maternal health services—these partnerships have not only improved health outcomes but also fostered innovations in food security and nutritional education. It is important that we continue to leverage such international support, which will continue to be vital in scaling up our efforts to combat malnutrition across Uganda.

Nutrition is the foundation of life and ensuring proper nutrition is fundamental to healthy human beings. This makes the nutrition sector anywhere a very critical component of national development as it positively impacts individuals, households, communities, and nations. Ensuring that the population of Uganda is well-nourished is not only a right, but an opportunity to advance humanity and to ensure a more productive society that is healthier, economically available and a tool to advance human dignity.

However, the right to food and nutrition security has become one of the major global challenges today, especially with a growing population. Countries need to continue to feed their people, especially children, women and those in need amidst climate change, drought, and dwindling access to productive land for small holder farmers. We also continue to face shrinking resources to take interventions in this area to scale. The task on us as decision makers is to put in place the right environment to ensure food and nutrition security for current and future generations.

Right Honourable Prime Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Addressing the challenges of malnutrition and food insecurity requires a comprehensive approach to our food systems – an important accelerator of our sustainable development goals. The good news is when we enhance our food systems, we ensure the availability, accessibility, and affordability of diverse and nutritious foods. This includes strengthening supply chain mechanisms to reduce food loss, supporting agricultural biodiversity to ensure a variety of dietary options, and empowering local farmers to grow nutrient-rich crops. Additionally, we must advocate for regulatory frameworks that promote healthy food environments, such as effective labeling, sensible taxation on high-sugar products, and incentives for nutritious food production. Such measures are essential to our national health and well-being.

On this note, I would like to commend the government’s initiative in organizing this forum on the theme “Unlocking Nutrition’s Potential: Accelerating Multisectoral Actions and Strategic Investments for Enhanced Nutrition Security”. Ensuring nutrition security needs to go beyond one sector. The food/agriculture sector is a very important in ensuring food security. However, translating food insecurity into nutrition security needs other sectors as outlined in the Uganda Nutrition Action Plan II (including health, education, water and sanitation, social protection among others). 

I applaud the efforts made by the government in the sector, including the leadership of the Prime Minister in transforming food systems in the country. It is in recognition of the importance of nutrition, and multi-sectoral nature of it that the UN declared a Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025). The UN Decade of Action on Nutrition is a commitment by United Nations Member States to undertake 10 years of sustained and coherent implementation of policies, programmes, and increased investments to eliminate malnutrition in all its forms, everywhere, leaving no one behind. 

Thus, a greater political commitment, part of which we are witnessing today, is needed in sustained manner to accelerate efforts in reducing all forms of malnutrition. As we advocate for improved nutritional outcomes, it is essential to embrace a holistic approach that recognizes nutrition as a cornerstone of intellectual development, educational success, and economic productivity. We must strive for greater equity in access to nutritious foods, particularly for our most vulnerable populations including children, pregnant women, and those in rural areas. We must also seek to match our ambition with the resources required to sustain our impacts in this area, otherwise we risk reversing the gains we have so far. Sustainable agricultural practices are also pivotal, as they ensure long-term food security and environmental health. By integrating nutrition into all relevant sectors—health, education, agriculture—we can achieve a multi-sectoral impact that is both broad and profound.

On behalf of the LDPG in Uganda, I offer our commitment to continue to work with the Government, partners, and communities to unlock the great potentials that nutrition brings to the development aspirations of Uganda. We believe a multi-sectoral approach is best way to move this agenda forward.

Thank you all for listening. I wish you the best on your deliberations over the next three days.

-Ends-