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Update on AGN activities

Ricardo Uauy (AGN chair) participated as vice chairman of the WHO technical consultation on Nutrition and Healthy Ageing held in conjunction with Tufts University Human Nutrition Center in Boston. As part of a Symposium honouring Nevin Scrimshaw on his 80th birthday he delivered a presentation on the Evolution of Nutrition Policy: Past, Present and Future Approaches. At the International Paediatric Congress in Amsterdam he delivered a key note plenary address on the “Nutrition Challenges of the 21st Century: What role for Paediatricians?”. He participated in the FAO/WHO consultation on Vitamin and Mineral Requirements held in Bangkok, Thailand and in the FAO/ILSI/WHO workshop on Development of Food Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) for South America held in Quito, Ecuador.

Email: [email protected]

Kraisid Tontisirin was a consultant for UNICEF and the Asian Development Bank’s regional technical assistance project on Reduction of Child Malnutrition in Eight Asian Countries and for Iran and UNICEF in the development of a Nutrition Plan for Iran. He chaired the Regional Expert Consultation of the Asia-Pacific Network for Food and Nutrition on Establishment of Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping Systems. He participated in the development of RDAs and Food Based Dietary Guidelines for SE Asia and recently shared experiences in Amman, Jordan as a resource person in the development of FBDGs for the Near East.

Email: [email protected]

Lawrence Haddad continued to direct the work of IFPRI’s Food Consumption and Nutrition Division, the largest of IFPRI’s four research divisions. He is working with researchers at the University of Natal and the University of Wisconsin on “Shocks, Income Dynamics and Social Capital in KwaZulu-Natal, 1993-1998” and with researchers at the University of Cape Town on “Public Works in South Africa: How Effectively Do They Reduce Poverty, Generate Employment and Build Capacity?” He completed drafts of papers on “Explaining Child Malnutrition in Developing Countries: A Cross-Country Analysis” (with Lisa Smith), “How does the Human Rights Perspective Help to Shape the Food and Nutrition Policy Research Agenda?” (with Arne Oshaug), and “Growing Urban Poverty and Undernutrition: Implications for Research and Poverty” (with Marie Ruel and James Garrett).

Email: [email protected]

Ruth K. Oniang’o, AGN vice chair, attended meetings in Durban, South Africa on Food Security and Governance sponsored by the Toda Institute. She was on a team to explore possibilities of food fortification on an OMNI/USAID mission to Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. She attended a 2-day strategic meeting at IFPRI in Washington D.C., and from there proceeded to Thailand for the FAO/WHO consultation on Vitamin and Mineral Requirements. In Benin she presented a discussion paper at a meeting on postharvest technology sponsored by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture and the Sasakawa Africa Association. In Kenya she is reviewing the National Food Policy and coordinated the FAO-sponsored Household Food Security meeting for Eastern and Southern Africa. Email: [email protected]

Eileen Kennedy convened the Year 2000 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. The eleven member committee is tasked with reviewing the current food based U.S Dietary Guidelines and making recommendations for change based on the latest scientific information. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines are the cornerstones of federal nutrition policy. She participated in a technical consensus conference on Preventing Iron Deficiency in Women and Children held at UNICEF Headquarters on October 7-9,1998.

Email: [email protected]

Lilian Tendayi Marovatsanga assisted the SCN Secretariat in consultations for the strategic plan for Interagency Collaboration for UN Agencies in Nutrition. She presented a paper in Durban, South Africa on “Food Security: The Role of the Private Sector”. In East Africa she participated in a mission to assess the possibilities of fortifying foods in the region. She is also part of a new program to strengthen the capacity of sub-Saharan Africa to ensure the availability of nutritionally - adequate, safe foods.

Email: [email protected]

The SCN would like to express its sincere appreciation to Sadia Chowdhury for her invaluable contributions over the past three years. Dr. Chowdhury, who joined the AGN in 1995, has taken a position as Senior Public Health Specialist for the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

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This brief summary illustrates that AGN membership is an integral part of the academic and professional life of all of us. In fact, it adds an important dimension to our national and regional work. The opportunity to contribute to the UN agencies’ global effort in combating malnutrition is a privilege and a responsibility that demands hard work but offers important rewards for those who have an interest in the progress of international nutrition action.