National Combined Mechanism for Food Security and Nutrition holds first meeting

World Bank, ADB, USAID, WFP, UNDP, UNICEF, WHO and FAO Country Directors/Representatives and Chief of Defence Staff at discussion

The first meeting of the National Combined Mechanism for Food Security and Nutrition of the Presidential Secretariat was held recently at the BMICH, under the Chairmanship of Secretary to President Saman Ekanayake.
Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga participated as Senior Advisor to the committee. Representatives of all foreign funding agencies for food security projects as well as Secretary to Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake and secretaries of relevant ministries too attended. 

Presidential Secretariat Food Security Division Advisor to President Dr. B.M.S. Batagoda welcomed the participants. Kumaratunga highlighted the urgency to address the problem of malnutrition in the country, especially among the children. She stated that Sri Lanka is presently among the 10 countries with the worst malnutrition rates among 200 countries and that over 20 percent of the children under five years are severely malnourished.

At the conclusion of the discussions, it was decided to provide immediate food relief to children, ensuring proper delivery of food and cash handouts, accelerate action plans to increase milk, eggs and vegetable production, to set up monitoring mechanisms of the projects implemented by civil society for food relief and involve more extensively the role of civil society organisations, which are currently engaged in providing food relief to schoolchildren. 
Kumaratunga stated that she agreed to function as Senior Advisor to the committee, as it was a subject of urgent national importance and not as part of the government administration. 

Secretary to President Saman Ekanayake chairs meeting with former President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Secretary to Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake at the head table