Hanoi (VNA) – A ceremony was held in Hanoi on January 31 to launch theScaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement in Vietnam and the implementation of thePrime Minister’s directive on nutrition enhancement.

The event aimed to affirm the country’s strongcommitment to improving public health and nutrition.

In her speech, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi KimTien said the nutrition status of Vietnamese people has been improved over thepast years. The country was assessed as a highlight in achieving the MillenniumDevelopment Goals, especially the continuous and sustainable reduction of the malnutritionrate among under-five children, from 31.9 percent in 2001 to 13.8 percent in2016.

However, Vietnam is also facing an array ofchallenges, she noted, elaborating that the stunting rate remains high, at 24.3percent, and the rate of overweight and obesity is rising rapidly, especiallyin urban areas. While micronutrient deficiency hasn’t been improved, unbalanceddiet has increased risks of non-communicable diseases like cardiovasculardiseases, diabetes, and metabolic disorder, Tien added.

In January 2014, the country officially tookpart in the United Nations’ SUN Movement. It also committed to implementing theSustainable Development Goals, including the goal on ending hunger,achieving food security and improved nutrition andpromoting sustainable agriculture. In November 2017, Vietnam signed theASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Ending all Forms of Malnutrition.

Tien said the Ministry of Health will makenutrition recommendations for specific groups and encourage the use of localfood and food that suits the taste of people in each region. It will strive tocurb malnutrition, micronutrient deficiency and overweight and prioritisenutritional care for children in the first 1,000 days.

Theministry will also enhance coordination with relevant ministries and agenciesto promote communication activities to raise public awareness of reasonablenutrition.

The SUN Movement is a renewed global effort toeliminate all forms of malnutrition based on the principle that everyone has aright to food but also good nutrition. It aims to connect all people from theGovernment, social organisations, sponsors, businesses, and researchers in abid to improve nutrition. Fifty-seven countries and two Indian states havecommitted to scale up their nutrition efforts.-VNA