Apr 24
3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
SDPI Seminar Hall, 38, Embassy Road, G-6/3, Islamabad

SDPI Panel Discussion on Pakistan’s National Zero Hunger Action Plan
Today, Pakistan faces
alarming situation of hunger and food insecurity. The study conducted by SDPI
in 2010 estimates that around 48.6 percent of 165 million Pakistanis are food
insecure (SDPI-WFP-SDC Report 2010). The same trend is also reported by recent
National Nutritional Survey which quoted that in 2010, 58 percent people in Pakistan were
food insecure and 63pc children under five were anaemic.
To
address the unprecedented hunger and malnourishment in the country, newly
established Ministry of National Food Security and Research, launched a
‘National Zero Hunger Action Plan’ inaugurated by Prime Minister Syed Yousaf
Raza Gillani in March 2012. The program is a five year plan that aims to
reach to a total of 61 million food insecure people across the country with a
total cost of 16 billion US dollars.
World
Food Programme and Ministry of National Food Security have also signed an
agreement, under which some 500,000 metric tones of wheat, donated by
government of Pakistan
will be converted by WFP, into nutritious food commodities that will be used to
combat hunger among the most vulnerable sections of society particularly
malnourished children, pregnant women and primary school children. The program
also features school feed programme and establishment of “zero hunger shops” in
45 extremely food insecure districts in Pakistan.
Some of
the other salient interventions of Zero Hunger Plan include, 1) Support to food
insecure households, 2) Cash/food support in disaster hit areas, 3) expansion
of farm outputs and market access, 4) Targeted social safety nets, 5)
Rationalisation of market prices of food commodities, 6) Improved nutritious
quality of food intake (fortified food), 7) Diversification of food, 8) Food
processing industry even at community level, 9) Food and nutrition awareness
and education programme, 10) food security surveillance, 11) research for food
policy/production, quality improvement, storage, distribution, and 12) Enhanced
coordination among various federal and provincial ministries, and
public-private-civil society partnerships.
In view
of above, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) is organizing a panel
discussion on ‘National Zero Hunger Action Plan’. Speakers at the panel
discussion would discuss various aspects of the program, its institutional
arrangement and various challenges it may face, including the coordination
between federal and provincial departments.
ENTRY IS OPEN TO ALL
Chair: Mr. Shakeel Ahmad Ramay, Senior Research Associate, SDPI
Speakers:
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Mr. Kevin Gallagher, Country Representative, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organizations (FAO), Islamabad
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Mr. Jean-Luc Siblot, Country Representative, World Food Programme (WFP), Islamabad
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Dr. Ch. Inayat, Ministry of National Food Security and Research, Islamabad
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Dr. Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Islamabad