United Nations System
Standing Committee on Nutrition

Working Group on Micronutrients

held during the SCN's 33rd Session, Wednesday 15 March 2006, 1630-1830 hours, Geneva

Chair: Martin Bloem (WFP)
Co-Chairs: Jacques Berger (France), Gary Gleason (INF)

• Agenda
• Full Report

The Micronutrient WG moved forward to develop new approaches to ongoing and more active mechanisms for information exchange and technical information sharing not only bin relation to the WG session at the annual SCN meeting but throughout the year. Outgoing WG chair Bruno de Benoist from WHO opened the session introducing, introducing the new chairs. A short presentation by co-chair Gary Gleason of the INF described the WG’s electronic “Report on Recent Activities Related to Improving Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition” that included information from more than 110 contributing institutions, organizations and researchers on activities and plans in more than 120 countries and a new large display board to allow group members to display information on their projects and activities throughout the SCN session.

Venkatesh Mannar summarized the current status and challenges related to Vitamin A supplementation, Hans Burgi covered USI and IDD and Ken Brown gave a brief orientation and proposed actions by international organizations, Bilateralas and NGOs related to zinc. Ray Yip give the keynote presentation on “Can we do Better on improving iron nutrition,” based on his more than 25 years of work from clinical, research and programmatic experience. The presentations, along with active discussions, among participants and the WG speakers’ panel caused the WG to extend for almost three hours into the evening with very few leaving the room. The demonstrated level of interest reinforced the Chairs proposal to develop a system of ongoing communication around several topics of interest including the key vitamins and minerals and the key interventions covered by the WG. Preliminary endorsements of the following proposed activities are sought from the overall SCN for 2006. (A refined list with more operational details will be provided to the Secretariat by 28 April).

1. A WG MN Session will be organized for the 2007 annual meeting of the SCN.
2. The WG will carry out activities to promote membership from the three main SCN constituencies at both headquarters and field levels and properly register and encourage ongoing participation from those who join.
3. The WG will move ahead in identifying and beginning work on a minimum of two and a maximum of for substantial policy/strategy papers with progress reports to be given before the next annual SCN meeting.
4. The WG will develop and initiate an active, ongoing system for relevant research, guidelines, and technical information exchange and project experience sharing will be developed and initially tested by the WG and reported on in one year. (The design, components, costs, progress and constraints associated with this work will be shared with other working groups through the Secretariat and suggestions in this are most welcome from other groups.)
5. The WG will participate with the overall SCN developing the advocacy and communication activities and related organizational components of the SCN to the extent possible.
6. The WG will promote the incorporation of assessments of vitamins and minerals status into all relevant standard surveys (including DHS and MICS).
7.  The WG will promote engagement with relevant current and potential producers of high quality, centrally produced fortified complementary foods to increase accessibility and affordability and acceptance of such products in developing countries.
8. The WG will promote development of goals for control of zinc deficiency, and inclusion of zinc assessment in national surveys (see above).
9. The WG will work with iZINCg to develop consensus on preventive zinc intervention strategies and promote introduction of preventive interventions linked to existing nutrition/health programs and the roll-out of zinc treatment of diarrhea.
10. With the objective of reducing childhood anemia, particularly during the age period of rapid and critical growth and development between 6-24 months of age, the WG will promote activities to clarify iron supplementation of children in malaria endemic areas. The WG will also promote consensus on WHO guidelines and WHO and UNICEF programming guidance on preventive supplementation of women of reproductive age and supplementation of pregnant women.