The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has given large grants to the global immunization campaign. The Foundation is now showing an interest in nutrition programmes, and fortification in particular. The Global Health Program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has organized a consultation to discuss implementation strategies to accelerate the elimination of micronutrient malnutrition in developing countries, with special attention to opportunities for fortification of foods. A meeting will take place at the Foundation and the Elliott Grand Hyatt Seattle, Washington, July 25-26, 2001. The consultation with implementing agencies will follow a closed meeting of interested donors. The meeting provides a forum to report the results of the recent consultation with stakeholders conducted by Mercer Management Consulting and the Keystone Center.
Further information on this consultation can be obtained from Sally Stansfield at the Gates Foundation: sally@gatesfoundation.org
FAO/WHO/UNU Expert Consultations on Food Energy and Protein Requirements
These three UN organizations have together embarked on a review of energy and protein requirements. The two expert consultations will provide an update of the 1985 publication Energy and Protein Requirements (WHO Technical Report Series no. 724). One of the main reasons for updating energy requirements is the large body of new data on energy expenditure, especially for children. Separate working groups have been set up to deal with infants and preschool children, pregnancy and lactation, methodologies and analytical issues related to food energy and protein, protein quality and food labelling for both energy and protein. The energy consultation will take place in Rome in October. In order to draw on a review of protein requirements undertaken now by the National Academy of Sciences Food and Nutrition Board in the US, the protein consultation will take place in spring 2002. The protein consultation will deal with the contentious issue of adaptation, i.e., the extent to which human adults adapt to different protein and amino acid intakes and therefore the magnitude of the minimum requirements.
For further information contact Robert Weisell at FAO: Robert.Weisell@fao.org
The UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS concluded on Wednesday 27 June, when the 189 members of the General Assembly approved a Declaration of Commitment. The Declaration contains two references to nutrition, as follows.
18. Recognizing the need to achieve the prevention goals set out in this Declaration in order to stop the spread of the epidemic and acknowledging that all countries must continue to emphasize widespread and effective prevention, including awareness-raising campaigns through education, nutrition, information and health-care services.For further information go to:65. By 2003, develop and by 2005 implement national policies and strategies to: build and strengthen governmental, family and community capacities to provide a supportive environment for orphans and girls and boys infected and affected by HIV/AIDS including by providing appropriate counselling and psycho-social support; ensuring their enrolment in school and access to shelter, good nutrition, health and social services on an equal basis with other children; to protect orphans and vulnerable children from all forms of abuse, violence, exploitation, discrimination, trafficking and loss of inheritance.
http://www.unaids.org/whatsnew/others/unspecial/Declaration2706en.htm
Nutrition Transition and its implications for health in the developing world will be discussed August 20-24 2001 at the Bellagio Rockefeller Conference Centre. Leaders in nutrition from 22 countries will meet to assess current low and moderate income industrializing countries’ experience related to the nutrition transition and provide ideas for pushing forth a broader public health agenda in this area. Specifically, the conference will focus on the shift towards patterns of behaviour (diet, smoking, drinking, activity) that lead to rapid increases in obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancers.
More information can be obtained from Barry M. Popkin, School of Public Health, Carolina Population Centre. Popkin@unc.edu
