First meeting of the provincial nutrition committee is held in South Kivu, DRC

On 26 January 2017, the Provincial Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Committee (NMHC) of South Kivu, a province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, held its very first meeting under the direction of the Chief of Staff of the Provincial Minister of Health.

After placing nutrition as a development priority in the province through a high-level conference on nutrition May 2016 which led to the signing of the “Bukavu Charter”, the meeting represented another strong sign of political will to combat malnutrition as a major public health problem. The provincial committee and its mechanisms for monitoring nutrition interventions in a multisectoral manner will be a model for the other provinces.

UNICEF DRC took the opportunity to present progress towards the inter-agency: UNICEF – WFP – FAO multisectoral project to combat malnutrition which has been operating in the Bunyakiri health zone since May 2015. UNICEF applauded the provincial dynamic of inclusiveness and co-ordination and promised support and coaching from its Chief of Nutrition (RDC), Mrs Inès Lezama .

Find out more about the Conference on Nutrition in South Kivu in 2016 on their Facebook page.