United Nations System
Standing Committee on Nutrition

 

Report of the Sub-Committee on Nutrition at its Twenty-Fifth Session

II.  Work in Progress:  Summary of Discussion and Conclusions

B.  Report on the World Nutrition Situation

B.1  Third Report on the World Nutrition Situation

  1. 27.  The Technical Secretary introduced the Third Report and acknowledged with thanks the input from a large number of organizations and individuals. A focus on stunting rather underweight was highlighted as the main departure from previous reports in this series.  All anthropometric data used in the chapter on stunting were obtained from the recently-published WHO Global Database on Child Growth and Malnutrition.
  2. Comments on chapter 1 (Stunting and Young Child Development) were then received. The World Bank and USAID felt that lack of underweight data was an omission which could be corrected by including the latest underweight data in an Annex, also on the SCN web page. The Technical Secretary explained that in the planning of the Report there was felt to be a need to do something new, to incorporate new indicators.  Resources were also limited.  She assured that both underweight and stunting  trends will be included in the Fourth Report.  The representative of Italy welcomed the chapter on stunting, in the hope that this would raise awareness to what is often a neglected area due to the resistance in taking measurements of height.  The representative from the UK also welcomed the focus on stunting and raised the issue of whether or not stunting was reversible after the age of three.  It was suggested that the aetiology of stunting may be different from that of wasting and that these differences should be addressed. In response to the point on reversibility of stunting, the Chair of the AGN stated that it was unusual to see this in developing countries. UNHCR pointed out the importance of stunting in emergency situations (which can last for many years) and welcomed the inclusion of this indicator in the Third Report.  WHO/Europe commented that Box 2  "The Nutrition Problem in Central Asia and the Caucasus" was made possible by the focus on stunting. The Chair noted that the data showed some progress in regions with declines in per capita income, and questioned to what extent  progress in stunting trends may reflect improvements in areas of child health rather than economic advance. It was highlighted that trends in stunting data did not show the same decline in the 1990s that the trends in underweight data had shown in the 1980s.
  3. UNICEF commented that chapter 4 (Policy Implications for the 21st Century) was useful, but that care factors were not embedded in the structure of the chapter. UNICEF and UNU suggested that full drafts of these reports should be circulated to the SCN for comment prior to publication.  In response to these points, the Technical Secretary informed that the AGN serves as the review panel for the Third Report, but that new reviewers would be most welcome in the future. The review process for the Fourth Report would be built in at an early stage; however it is critical that deadlines be respected.
  4. Referring to the section on calcium in chapter 2 (Micronutrients), IAEA welcomed this new addition and requested information on the editorial process. The Technical Secretary indicated that she had made all editorial decisions. This was supported by the SCN Chair. Referring also to chapter 2, the representative from Italy commented that assessment of micronutrient status during pregnancy is a neglected area, one which these reports could try to highlight.  There is special need to develop reliable indicators for sub-clinical deficiencies.
  5. The Chair concluded that demand for this very useful Third Report is high. Some 8000 copies had been printed, and highlights are available on the SCN website.

B.2  Draft Outline of the Fourth Report on the World Nutrition Situation

  1. The draft outline for the Fourth Report was presented by the Technical Secretary and a member of the AGN.  The Fourth Report will be used for advocacy through presenting new scientific evidence and revisiting success stories. It will also report on emerging issues and continue work on trends, nutrition in emergencies and will emphasize policy.
  2. The World Bank proposed a new format: a focus on one theme in the text with a number of statistical and trend tables at the back of the publication. The case for investing in nutrition was proposed as a possible theme. The suggestion for a new format was supported by the representative from Germany and by UNICEF.  UNICEF further suggested that with too many short essays or themes, the important role in providing a good empirical situation analysis may be missed. FAO disagreed with the idea of one theme, stating that the low frequency of publication is not sufficient to support this idea. On the issue of a new format, the Chair reminded that the title refers to the "World Nutrition Situation", and whilst recognizing the value of focusing on one theme, concurred that the Report is published too infrequently to warrant this.
  3. WANHR requested that progress in realizing the human right to food and nutrition be added to the outline. Norway urged that various aspects of breastfeeding also be included, specifically the economics of breastfeeding. UNU suggested that "new results on links with chronic disease" be divided into two parts:  evidence for the relationship between diet and chronic disease, and the link between malnutrition during pregnancy and chronic disease.  FAO offered to take the lead on writing chapter 5 and indicated that chapter 9 could report on information available through FIVIMS, which may be operational by that time. UNU emphasized the need for practical examples and key references.
  4. Additional written comments on the draft outline were requested by the Chair.  He further asked the Technical Secretary to revise the outline in light of comments made, leaving open the possibility to make further adjustments later, as this project is still in the early planning phase.