Building Partnerships
Stronger and Healthier- Partnering to Fight Malnutrition in Bangladesh
150 business, government and civil society leaders met in Dhaka on 4 November to launch the GAIN Business Alliance in Bangladesh and the national oil fortification program.
Stronger and healthier
Mr. Marc van Ameringen, Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, opened the meeting by highlighting the fundamental importance of good nutrition to health and development: “I am sure that no-one in this room needs convincing that every human being needs adequate nutrition to have a decent life. Yet, today over a billion people still suffer from malnutrition, which cripples their lives and disables national economies”.
He emphasized that there is no other area of development where the connection between individual health, economic growth and national development is as clear as in nutrition. A one percent reduction in malnutrition rate reduces poverty by four percent, and complete elimination of malnutrition could lead to a 40 percent growth of GDP over ten years. That makes improving nutrition an area where the public and private sectors can work together and create value for everyone involved.
Business in Action
A first step of public-private action to fight malnutrition in Bangladesh is the national oil fortification program that will fortify 70 percent of all cooking oil with vitamin A. The program aims to produce 700,000 metric tons of fortified oil by 2010, which will improve the health of 90 million people, including 30 million people whose diets are Vitamin A deficient.
Marc Van Ameringen congratulated the Ministry of Industry, the lead partner, as well as the Vegetable Oil Refiners Association for creating this program, and underlined that the involvement of the industry was crucial to make this initiative sustainable. He encouraged the GAIN Business Alliance in Bangladesh to find other innovative ways to fight malnutrition in Bangladesh, using proven strategies such as fortification of staple foods, school feeding programs and improving education. Through commitment, leadership and innovation, the scourge of malnutrition could be tackled within our lifetimes, he concluded.
Launch of the oil fortification program
Mrs. Geetiara Safiya Chowdhury, Advisor of the Ministry of Industries Bangladesh and the Chair of the National Food Fortification Alliance stressed that nutrition is a top priority for her government, and that the fortification of oil with Vitamin A is a signal of that agenda. She then went on to officially launch the program by witnessing the signing ceremony with Louis Georges Arsenault, UNICEF Representative, Mr. M. A. Rouf Chowdhury and Mr. Marc Van Ameringen.
Market-based solutions
Dr. Bérangère Magarinos, Senior Manager at GAIN, underlined the focus of the GAIN Business Alliance on finding innovative business models that deliver market-based and sustainable solutions to those vulnerable of malnutrition. Worldwide, the GAIN Business Alliance has already developed practical partnerships with food companies in China, India, Europe, the United States and Africa to introduce new products and initiatives.
She said that GAIN hopes to encourage and co-create new examples of innovation in the food industry that improve public health, and create partnerships with governments to create an enabling environment. She invited all business leaders, not only those in the food sector, to join the alliance.
Opportunities for business
During a panel discussion, Mr. Emmanuel Faber spoke of his experience with Grameen-Danone Foods, and how the production of fortified yoghurt improves nutrition as well as stimulates local economic development. It is an experiment stemming from Danone’s commitment to bring healthy foods to as many people as possible, and Mr. Faber underlined the need for partnerships to make innovation happen and deliver public benefits.
Dr. Anji Reddy explained why he got motivated to support the Naandi Foundation in its efforts to deliver 250 million mid-day meals to school children in India. “Those who are successful in business want and should want to give something back,” he said. He also gave the provision of safe drinking water in 100 villages of Andhra Pradesh in India as another example where public-private partnerships could work: it is a sustainable business which delivers quality water and three jobs in each village.
Mr. Rouf Chowdhury launched a ‘Freedom from Hunger Fund’ for school children in Bangladesh. He said “All Bangladeshi and our friends share a dream of eradicating poverty in Bangladesh. The GAIN Business Alliance is not about filling our pockets, but about filling our souls,” he said. Of the 16 million primary school children, 8 million suffer from partial hunger and 4 million from extreme hunger. He urged participants to contribute towards this fund.
Stimulating social business
Nobel Laureate Prof. Mohammad Yunus thanked GAIN for its focus on fighting malnutrition and bringing together the public and private sectors for this cause. “In poverty, you are in poor health and your children are in poor health. We want to give the first push, and that is why nutrition is so important,” he said.
He spoke of how his search for effective ways to tackle malnutrition in Bangladesh resulted in the Grameen- Danone partnership. He emphasized that this was a social business, whose primary objective was not to make money, but to improve nutrition and create local economic development. He encouraged others to follow this experiment: “While we make money, we can also do good. That is what social business is all about, and you can use your creative energies to get involved in social business that improves nutrition. GAIN can help in that effort,” he said.
Launch of the GAIN Business Alliance in Bangladesh
Jay Naidoo, Chair of the GAIN Board underlined the need for trade, business opportunities and partnerships to stimulate development in Bangladesh and other developing countries, and offered GAIN’s help as a catalyst to bring together those people who are actively seeking to make a difference. Mr Naidoo and Mr. Paulus Verschuren of Unilever, Chair of the global GAIN Business Alliance, then officially welcomed Mr. M.A. Rouf Chowdury as the Chair of the GAIN Business Alliance Bangladesh. He thanked GAIN for being the architect of this program and providing funding for oil fortification, and promised that the oil association would ensure the sustainability of the fortification. He looked forward to mobilizing business and creating partnerships in Bangladesh to fight malnutrition, and make Bangladesh healthier and stronger.
