National Combined Mechanism for Food Security and Nutrition

From left: Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake chairing the meeting alongside former President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake at the head table

 Country Directors/Representatives of the World Bank, ADB, USAID, WFP, UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, FAO and Chief of Defence Staff at the discussion

The first meeting of the National Combined Mechanism for Food Security and Nutrition of the Presidential Secretariat was held recently at the BMICH under the Chairmanship of Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake.

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga participated as the Senior Advisor to the Committee. Representatives of all Foreign Funding Agencies for Food Security Projects as well as Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake and Secretaries of relevant ministries too attended.

Advisor to the President of the Food Security Division Dr. B.M.S. Batagoda welcomed the participants. 

Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga highlighted the urgency to address the problem of malnutrition in the country, especially among the children. She stated that Sri Lanka is presently among the 10 countries with the worst malnutrition rates among 200 countries and that over 20% of the children under five years are severely malnourished.

At the conclusion of the discussions, it was decided to provide immediate food relief to children ensuring proper delivery of food and cash handouts, accelerate action plans to increase milk, eggs and vegetable production, to setup monitoring mechanisms of the projects implemented by civil society for food relief and involve more extensively the role of civil society organisations who are currently engaged in providing food relief to school children.

Former President Kumaratunga stated that she agreed to function as Senior Advisor to the Committee as it was a subject of urgent national importance and not as part of the Government administration.