Sudan: Italy in action against malnutrition

Italy confirms to be the champion of the struggle against malnutrition in Sudan. A meeting with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation organised by the Italian Embassy in Khartoum aimed to close ranks between the donors to the “SUN- Scaling Up Nutrition” project to tackle the primary causes of malnutrition through the joint action of the civil society, United Nations agencies, donor Countries, the private sector and the academic world. According to WFP estimates, in Sudan approximately 38% of the children under five suffer from poor nutrition or malnutrition. These figures are weighed down by the growing percentage of vulnerable population segments because of the Country’s economic crisis. Therefore, the strategy confirmed by the Italian authorities is based on social and cultural prevention and on seeking the deep-set causes of the phenomenon in addition to implementing emergency actions. The meeting was attended, among others, by the Sudanese Minister of Health, Ahmed Abu Zeid, who assured support through his own and his Government’s commitment to tackle the problem of malnutrition more effectively, making it the priority issue of his term in office. On his part, the Italian Ambassador in Khartoum, Fabrizio Lobasso, confirmed: “The commitment of Italian Institutions in Sudan is all-around in view of the transversal nature of malnutrition, which inevitably tends to pervade all the facets of social living and therefore of development cooperation, undermining the evolution and development of local communities on the territory. High-impact advocacy, coordination at all levels and a cross-cultural approach: these will be the main guidelines for Italy’s diplomatic action.”