gain_work

Signing Ceremony of GAIN-China Food Fortification Projects
15:00-16:00 October 17, 2003
Remarks on behalf of UNICEF
By Dr. Christian Voumard, UNICEF Representative in China

Your excellencies
I am very glad to be able to stand here today and congratulate the Government of China for the
signing of the agreement with GAIN for food fortification.
Chinese children have benefitted from the tremendous economic development of China over the last
20 years. Malnutrition in particular has decreased by more than 40%. In many provinces, access to
food and the general diets have improved to the point under and malnutrition is not a problem
anymore for most of the children. This has resulted in remarkable improvements growth,
development and intelligence of children in China, that will benefit the continued economic and
social development of this great country.
Also, China has shown the way with regards to iodine deficiency control through universal salt
iodisation. 90% of salt used at household level is iodised, and this has been sustained since the year
2000. I am just coming from the closing ceremony of the global meeting that was held in the
Presidential Plaza, where 27 countries have learned from the Chinese experience in order to
accelerate progress in their own countries. At this very moment, the directors of the health bureaux
of all the 31 provinces are meeting for agreeing on how to sustain this success and ensure that the
last 10% of children and pregnant women are protected too before 2005.
However, while the situation has improved the 'hidden hunger' of some children as well as
malnutrition in the poor western and floating populations needs to be addressed !
~ Stunting and underweight remain high in poor western provinces.
~ Vitamin A deficiency is 23% in rural areas. This is three times higher than in the cities.
~ The iron deficiency anemia rate in women of child bearing age is 41% in rural areas and 28% in
urban areas. It is 27% and 12%, for young children.
~ In some areas, folate deficiency has led to inadmissibly high levels of spina bifida.
The government has already taken steps to correct these problems through its poverty eradication
programme. It has also implemented several pilot studies to test several fortification processes and I am very glad that UNICEF was able to support this process. We provided support for the trials of
soy sauce fortification with iron, and adding of Vitamin A to edible oils. UNICEF is extremely
pleased of its collaboration with the PNDC, USCDC as well as the International Nutrition
Foundation (INF) in supporting the flour fortification trials that have proved essential in justifying
the GAIN proposal.
I also want to note the important contribution of the Asian Development Bank. ADB has been a true
leader and catalyst in the promotion of food fortification throughout Asia through its Regional
Technical Assistance (RETA). UNICEF is very pleased to be associated with ADB in a joint project
to support the development of the Nutrition Component of the 11th 5 year plan. This plan will go a
long way to correct the remaining nutritional problems of China. I congratulate PNDC and other
allies for their commitment to this work.
The agreement that is signed today with GAIN, to support flour fortification, is directly linked to
the overall development of a national public nutrition policy in China. I strongly believe that the
additional support provided through GAIN will help move the country toward a policy of universal
fortification of wheat flour, which will benefit all of China's children and women. UNICEF will
continue to provide support to the technical issues, advocacy and monitoring of this project as we
work together towards ensuring adequate nutrition and development to every Chinese Child
To colleagues at the PNDC, the Ministry of Health, the national institute of Nutrition, and other
organization working on this problem, I would like to assure you that UNICEF remains committed
to the China's national fortification alliance.




Speech of UNICEF Signing Ceremony of GAIN-China Food Fortification Projects 15:00-16:00 October 17, 2003 Remarks on behalf of UNICEF By Dr. Christian Voumard, UNICEF Representative in China Your excellencies I am very glad to be able to stand here today and congratulate the Government of China for the signing of the agreement with GAIN for food fortification. Chinese children have benefitted from the tremendous economic development of China over the last 20 years. Malnutrition in particular has decreased by more than 40%. In many provinces, access to food and the general diets have improved to the point under and malnutrition is not a problem anymore for most of the children. This has resulted in remarkable improvements growth, development and intelligence of children in China, that will benefit the continued economic and social development of this great country. Also, China has shown the way with regards to iodine deficiency control through universal salt iodisation. 90% of salt used at household level is iodised, and this has been sustained since the year 2000. I am just coming from the closing ceremony of the global meeting that was held in the Presidential Plaza, where 27 countries have learned from the Chinese experience in order to accelerate progress in their own countries. At this very moment, the directors of the health bureaux of all the 31 provinces are meeting for agreeing on how to sustain this success and ensure that the last 10% of children and pregnant women are protected too before 2005. However, while the situation has improved the 'hidden hunger' of some children as well as malnutrition in the poor western and floating populations needs to be addressed ! ~ Stunting and underweight remain high in poor western provinces. ~ Vitamin A deficiency is 23% in rural areas. This is three times higher than in the cities. ~ The iron deficiency anemia rate in women of child bearing age is 41% in rural areas and 28% in urban areas. It is 27% and 12%, for young children. ~ In some areas, folate deficiency has led to inadmissibly high levels of spina bifida. The government has already taken steps to correct these problems through its poverty eradication programme. It has also implemented several pilot studies to test several fortification processes and I am very glad that UNICEF was able to support this process. We provided support for the trials of soy sauce fortification with iron, and adding of Vitamin A to edible oils. UNICEF is extremely pleased of its collaboration with the PNDC, USCDC as well as the International Nutrition Foundation (INF) in supporting the flour fortification trials that have proved essential in justifying the GAIN proposal. I also want to note the important contribution of the Asian Development Bank. ADB has been a true leader and catalyst in the promotion of food fortification throughout Asia through its Regional Technical Assistance (RETA). UNICEF is very pleased to be associated with ADB in a joint project to support the development of the Nutrition Component of the 11th 5 year plan. This plan will go a long way to correct the remaining nutritional problems of China. I congratulate PNDC and other allies for their commitment to this work. The agreement that is signed today with GAIN, to support flour fortification, is directly linked to the overall development of a national public nutrition policy in China. I strongly believe that the additional support provided through GAIN will help move the country toward a policy of universal fortification of wheat flour, which will benefit all of China's children and women. UNICEF will continue to provide support to the technical issues, advocacy and monitoring of this project as we work together towards ensuring adequate nutrition and development to every Chinese Child To colleagues at the PNDC, the Ministry of Health, the national institute of Nutrition, and other organization working on this problem, I would like to assure you that UNICEF remains committed to the China's national fortification alliance.