ISLAMABAD: Policymakers, international development leaders, health professionals and nutrition experts will come together for ‘Act For Nutrition: The Emergency We Can No Longer Ignore’, a two-day international conference aimed at confronting Pakistan’s persistent nutrition and stunting crisis and building momentum for urgent, coordinated action.

According to a DawnMedia statement, the summit will examine the interconnected drivers of malnutrition, including poverty, maternal and child health, feeding practices, social protection, water and sanitation, climate vulnerability, financing and governance.

“Four out of every ten children under the age of five in Pakistan are stunted… We lose close to 17 billion dollars a year to the consequences of malnutrition, more than what we typically borrow from the IMF in any given year,” Dawn CEO Nazafreen Saigol-Lakhani said.

This conference, she said, is meant to serve as a platform where “the people who set policy, the people who fund it, and the people who deliver it on the ground can finally sit in the same room and talk to each other directly”.

‘Act For Nutrition’ brings together govts and experts to find ways to combat Pakistan’s persistent stunting problem

According to the DawnMedia statement, the focus of discussions will be on moving the national conversation beyond statistics towards practical, measurable interventions that can improve nutrition outcomes and protect Pakis­tan’s human capital and future generations.

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal will be the chief guest, while Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), will also deliver a video statement.

The conference will also feature senior national and international figures, including Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN); Senator Rubina Khalid, Chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Programme; Attaullah Tarar, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting; Abigail Perry, Lead Nutrition Specialist at the World Bank; and senior representatives from the World Food Programme and WHO.

In addition, the summit will bring together representatives from federal and provincial governments, the WHO, World Food Programme, World Bank, GAIN, Gates Foundation, Aga Khan Foundation, BISP, PIDE, WaterAid, the SUN Movement and GIZ, as well as academia, civil society and the private sector.

The initiative is being supported by key government partners, including the federal ministries of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination; Information and Broadcasting; Planning, Development and Special Initiatives; and, the Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health departments, the statement said.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2026