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Parliamentarians in Zimbabwe realise their pivotal role in scaling up nutrition
On 5th May 2015, a parliamentary engagement meeting was held in Harare, Zimbabwe, to raise awareness among parliamentarians about the country’s nutrition situation and the role parliamentarians can play in reducing hunger and undernourishment in the country. Organised by the Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations in Scaling…
May 7, 2015 - Last update: February 10, 2023
Meeting with Parliamentarians – Zimbabwe Civil Society Alliance
On 5th May 2015, a parliamentary engagement meeting was held in Harare, Zimbabwe, to raise awareness among parliamentarians about the country’s nutrition situation and the role parliamentarians can play in reducing hunger and undernourishment in the country. Organised by the Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations in Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance (ZCSOUNA) and supported by Progressio, the meeting brought together 27 members of parliament from the portfolio committees of health and agriculture.
The meeting was chaired by Regis Matimati, the Vice Chairperson of ZCSOSUNA and featured presentations from ZCSOSUNA and the Ministry of Health & Child Care. ZCSOSUNA raised the awareness of parliamentarians about the need for nutrition favorable strategies and budgets, in addition to emphasizing the importance of collective efforts which are at the heart of the SUN Movement.
The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Honorable Christopher Chitindi, felt challenged to start influencing nutrition sensitive agriculture. After the session he strongly indicated that their focus will shift from cash crops to growing nutritious food for the nation since nutrition is a smart investment.
The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health, Honorable Ruth Labode, felt outraged by the rates of stunting in the country. She said “We are hearing these issues for the first time. The SUN initiative is noble but to our surprise we are hearing it for the first time today in May of 2015 that Zimbabwe joined the SUN Movement in 2011. That is five years down the line. We feel such a noble idea must have been communicated with us much earlier for us to lobby for legislation promoting scaling up of nutrition”. She felt that the Ministry of Health and Child Care could do more to make sure that there is a reduction in the rates of stunting. She encouraged the ministry to engage businesses and also said that there is a need for more advocacy and communication on nutrition and that it should be included in all Parliamentary health reports.
At the event, all parliamentarians applauded the launch of the National Nutrition Strategy 2014-2018 by the Deputy Prime Minister in the week prior.
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