ISLAMABAD, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 3rd Sep, 2026) A two-day international conference on malnutrition and stunting concluded here on Thursday, bringing together policymakers, health experts, economists and development partners to discuss urgent measures to tackle Pakistan’s nutrition issue.
The conference was organized by Dawn Media Group under its ACT For Nutrition campaign, focusing on maternal and child nutrition and exploring practical solutions to address the country’s high levels of malnutrition and stunting.
The conference was held to confront Pakistan’s nutrition crisis, with more than 40 per cent of children under five suffering from stunting, while the maternal mortality rate stands at 155 deaths per 100,000 live births. Malnutrition is estimated to cost Pakistan more than $17 billion annually.
The two-day event examined the interconnected causes of malnutrition, including poverty, maternal nutrition, child feeding practices, governance, financing, climate vulnerability and chronic underinvestment.
The conference brought together global humanitarian leaders, international institutions, economists, clinicians, lawyers, frontline organisations and provincial governments to identify practical and measurable solutions to the nutrition crisis.
Addressing the conference, speakers said investment in human beings was more important than infrastructure development.
They said building roads and infrastructure was easier, while investing in human resources was more difficult. They thanked the organisers for focusing attention on important social issues.
Speakers said around 25 million children were out of school in Pakistan, while the population growth rate had reached 2.4 to 2.5 per cent.
They termed population growth and the resulting nutritional challenges an important national issue.
They said the first five years of a child’s life were crucial for mental development and played a decisive role in determining the child’s future.
The conference concluded with a call for stronger multi-sectoral coordination, sustained investment and practical action to improve maternal and child nutrition and reduce malnutrition and stunting across Pakistan.
The conference featured a range of sessions and speakers, including Dr. Saima Hamid, Programme and Research Lead at the Population Council; Dr. Ali Mir, Country Director, Population Council; Adnan Pasha Siddiqui, Advisor to the Minister of Finance; Sara Shahzad, Senior Health Specialist at the World Bank; Talib Lashari, Public Health Professional, Health Department Sindh; and Dr. Fazal Majeed, Director Nutrition, Directorate General Health Services, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Sessions also focused on the provincial perspective on nutrition, multi-sectoral action for nutrition and the role of unsafe water and poor sanitation in child stunting.
Other speakers included Dr. Hana Mahmood, Director International Research Force; Dr. Farhana Memon, Programme Director RMNCH; Tehmina Gulzar, Deputy Director Nutrition, BISP; Farrah Naz, Country Director GAIN; and Khadija Khan, CEO Pakistan Alliance on Early Childhood Development.
A dedicated session on water and sanitation featured Mian Muhammad Junaid, Country Director WaterAid; Oliver Cumming, Environmental Health Lead at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Basharat Saeed, Senior Water Specialist at the World Bank; and Dr. Saima Khan, WASH Policy Specialist, Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination.
