Chris Smith, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations hosted a Congressional-Diplomatic Dialogue on Child Nutrition as a follow up to the Subcommittee's nutrition hearing in June. This dialogue was held to identify strategies to improve lifelong health outcomes in Africa by targeting the first 1,000 days of life.
This nutritional dialogue was the sixth event in a series of Congressional-Diplomatic Dialogues between Members of Congress and members of the African diplomatic community. Presenters for this event included Roger Thurow, Senior Fellow for Global Food and Agriculture at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, H.E. Oliver Wonekha, Ambassador of Uganda, H.E. David Newman, Ambassador of Botswana, and H.E. Babacar Diagne, Ambassador of Senegal.
Chairman Smith also stated in his opening remarks that out of the 800 million people around the world that go to bed hungry, approximately 165 million are children under the age of 5 who are physically and developmentally stunted. His Subcommittee spearheaded the passage of the Global Food Security Act this year by Congress which includes provisions that provide nutrition-specific interventions during the critical first 1,000 days of life.
Keynote speaker Roger Thurow shared insights from his recent book The First 1,000 Days: A Crucial Time for Mothers and Children – and the Worldas well as strategies for improving child and maternal health and nutrition. He acknowledged the extensive effects that malnutrition has not only on families and communities, but entire countries.
The following African Ambassadors: H.E. Oliver Wonekha, Ambassador of Uganda, H.E. David Newman, Ambassador of Botswana, and H.E. Babacar Diagne, Ambassador of Senegal all shared their country's achievements in improving health outcomes and put forward their country's strategies and priorities to improve health infrastructure. This nutritional briefing provided an opportunity for the Chairman, Members of Congress, and attendees to hear directly from the African diplomatic community on child nutrition.
Leadership Africa assisted in organizing this child nutritional briefing and thanks the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Lugar Center, and the Coca-Cola Company for their support.
Contact: Shehnaz Rangwala
Email: shehnaz@leadershipafricausa.org
Telephone: 202-296-1974
