Among the topics discussed are the joint project between WFP, ABC and the Ministry of Health to combat the double burden of malnutrition
Peter Rodrigues, Deputy Director of WFP Brasil, in audience with Luiz Henrique Mandetta, Minister of Health
WFP Brazil – Centre of Excellence against Hunger met with the Brazilian Minister of Health, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, to discuss joint actions and partnerships between the two institutions. One of the topics discussed was the partnership recently signed between WFP Brazil, the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ABC/MRE) and the Ministry of Health to exchange experiences in combating the double burden of malnutrition (incidence of obesity and malnutrition in the same population).
The meeting, which took place on February 20th, was also an opportunity for the WFP Brazil team to present details of the WFP’s global activities and the actions carried out by the WFP office in the country, especially regarding nutrition, in order to strengthen relations and share successful experiences.
“This is an excellent opportunity for us to achieve the objectives of the United Nations Decade of Nutrition, combining WFP’s role in 54 countries in the area of nutrition and Brazilian leadership in making nutrition an important element for development”, said Peter Rodrigues, Deputy Director of WFP Brasil.
Brazil is internationally recognized for the work carried out by its national health system, known as SUS, and is also at the forefront in the creation of food guides. The Food Guide for the Brazilian Population has current information and recommendations on food and nutrition, with the objective of promoting the health of people, families and communities and of the Brazilian society.
Another project presented by the Minister of Health during the meeting was the Human Milk Bank project, which has an immediate impact on early childhood health. This successful experience has already been replicated, through international cooperation, to other countries in Latin America, Africa and Europe.
From left to right: Lorenza Longhi, from the Ministry of Health’s International Division; Gisele Bortolini, CGAN, Ministry of Health; Gregory Rosa, Project Advisor at WFP Brasil; Luiz Henrique Mandetta, Minister of Health; Peter Rodrigues, Deputy Director of WFP Brasil; Albaneide Peixinho, Project Coordinator at WFP Brasil; and Indiara Gonçalves, from the Ministry of Health’s International Division.
“The importance of this agenda was to align the objectives of the Ministry of Health of Brazil with those of the WFP, in view of the work that has been developed by us, now jointly with the Ministry, to address obesity and malnutrition”, said Albaneide Peixinho, Project Coordinator of WFP Brazil. The double burden of malnutrition affects not only Brazil, but also countries in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean. “Overweight and obesity, for example, are determining factors in the increase of chronic non-communicable diseases. WFP, whose mission is to save lives, looks very optimistically at the relationship with the Ministry of Health to work together on this topic”, added Albaneide.
