Mishal Launches Smart Fellowship Program on Eliminating Hidden Hunger and Malnutrition for Journalists in Sindh.
The program on Eliminating Hidden Hunger and Malnutrition to build media’s capacity to improve accountability mechanisms for Nutrition related development and public spending.
23 May 2017 – Karachi, PK – Mishal Pakistan, the
Country Partner Institute of the Global Competitiveness and Benchmarking
Network of the World Economic Forum has launched a media development initiative
to build the capacity of the journalists reporting on Nutrition in Sindh. The Fellowship
program is focusing on enhancing media’s role to act as public watchdog on
policy makers. The initiative, Eliminating Hidden Hunger is working with more
than 1200 health journalists across SIndh to improve public perception, opinion
and datasets on Nutrition and other related issues contributing to the
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2.
Mishal
is already working with the Sindh Assembly and its relevant standing committee
on Health for “Smart Policy Making”. The cooperation has delivered a high level
training initiative for the parliamentarians in Sindh, where the
parliamentarians shared their views on the importance of media’s role to shape public
policy according to people’s needs and requirements.
Dr.
Sohrab Sarki, Chairman Standing Committee on Health of the Sindh Assembly said,
“We see media as one of the most important players in the Smart Policy making
framework, whereby media reflects the grass root realities of citizen’s needs,
while making the policy makers accountable to the public for transparency and
efficiency. Media is a crucial partner in knowledge creation and influencing
the collective consciousness of the society. We need to bring media on board
for Smart Policy making.
Amir
Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of Mishal Pakistan, said, “The current state
of health in Pakistan is alarming. About 46.8 million people in Pakistan are
malnourished. Through this initiative we are prioritizing development agendas
by ensuring policy making through data and real time feedback through media.
The program on Eliminating Hidden Hunger and Malnutrition will improve service
delivery to the citizens and contribute further to improving Pakistan’s
competitiveness on global footing, while improving accountability through
media.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian High Commission
(Australian Aid) reached out to Mishal, earlier this year, to partner and
launch a nationwide program to create knowledge resources on Nutrition
challenges in Pakistan. The program will address the “Sustainable Development
Goals (SDG), Goal No. 2 ‘Zero Hunger’”.
Nida Karim, Program
Specialist Eliminating Hidden Hunger at Mishal Pakistan, said, “The program
focuses on increasing the capacity of media on Sustainable Development Goal no.
2 and enhance media’s role to be more proactive on public scrutiny of the
policy makers on issues related to food security, improved nutrition and
promote sustainable agriculture practices. Through this initiative Mishal is
also launching a nutrition specific information management system for the
journalists and policy makers.”
Mishal
Pakistan, the Country Partner Institute of the Global Competitiveness and
Benchmarking Network of the World Economic Forum, is closely working with the
Sindh Assembly’s Standing Committee on Primary and Secondary Health. The
initiative by Mishal has launched the program to improve the narrative building
on Nutrition by engaging various stakeholders including press clubs, journalism
associations, policy making institutes and academia across Pakistan.
Mishal
is also working with the National University of Modern Languages on research
projects to create new vocabulary on Nutrition related issues in the leading
languages being spoken in the country. Mishal through its flagship media
development program, “AGAHI Awards”, has introduced multiple new categories on
Nutrition, to encourage more public debate to be brought by media on this
issue.
An
estimated 2 billion people — over 30 percent of the world’s population suffer
from deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals. “Hidden hunger” is how
health experts often refer to micronutrient deficiencies because most people
affected do not show the visible physical symptoms and hence may not be aware
of their condition. Hidden Hunger’s effects can be devastating, leading to
mental impairment, poor health, low productivity, and even death. Its adverse
effects on child health and survival are particularly acute, especially within
the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, from conception to the age of two,
resulting in serious physical and cognitive consequences.
The UN
Sustainable Development Goals aim to end all forms of hunger and malnutrition
by 2030, making sure all people – especially children and the more vulnerable –
have access to sufficient and nutritious food all year round. Zero Hunger is
one of 17 Global Goals that make up the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
Please visit Pakistan’s
first infographic on “Eliminating Hidden Hunger” information and data at:
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