Invitation to an open discussion
on the political outcome document of the ICN
Comment Form
Personal information
Name: Peter Sousa Hoejskov
Organization: WHO DPS
Location: Suva, Fiji
Email: hoejskovp@wpro.who.int
1. Do you have any general comments on the draft political declaration and its vision
(paragraphs 1-3 of the zero draft)?
3: food utilization should be included as potential cause of malnutrition.
3: Replace salt with sodium
2. Do you have any comments on the background and analysis provided in the political
declaration (paragraphs 4-20 of the zero draft)?
7: I suggest inclusion of action to reverse the rise in rates of hypertension which is closely related to
sodium intake
8: I suggest that a reference is also made to the voluntary global targets for the prevention and
control of NCDs which have been endorsed by the World Health Assembly.
9: Replace potable water with safe water
10: replace salt with sodium
12: Include trade and finance as sectors where food and nutrition should also be addressed
14: Recognize that empowering the consumer to make healthy food choices is essential. Reliable and
relevant nutrition information, sensitive to cultural norms and preferences, needs to be effectively
disseminated to improve behaviour and practices. A thriving market economy requires rules and
regulations to keep it fair to all, and to ensure food safety and healthy nutrition and effective
enforcement mechanisms. Governments are obliged to protect consumers, especially children, from
misleading commercial messages promoting energy-dense, but nutrition-poor foods, which can
induce addictions and heighten the risk of disease. Governments should facilitate the establishment
of healthy food practices and enabling environments for healthy dietary habits, based on local food
cultures.
15: Acknowledge that nutritional protection is provided to people who are food insecure, unable to
purchase or grow the nutritious foods they need, have special needs, or are nutritionally vulnerable
for other reasons. We will examine the opportunities for enhancing people’s nutrition through
programmes, interventions and partnerships for ante-natal and post-natal maternal health, for child
health and for feeding school children. Humanitarian interventions in crisis situations pay attention
to the nutritional needs of beneficiaries.
18: I suggest that coordination across sectors is expanded to also include the private sector which
also plays a crucial role. Governments need to collaborate with private sector stakeholders to
improve food security. I suggest the role of the private sector receives stronger attention. It would
also be good to include stronger focus on the stability of food supply. For small island states,
stability of a healthy food supply is a major challenge.
3. Do you have any comments on the commitments proposed in the political
declaration? In this connection, do you have any suggestions to contribute to a more
technical elaboration to guide action and implementation on these commitments
(paragraphs 21-23 of the zero draft)?
Please provide your comments in the appropriate fields relating to these commitments:
21.
Commitment I: aligning our food systems (systems for food production, storage and
distribution)to people’s health needs;
I suggest amending to the following:
“aligning our food systems (systems for food production, storage, trade and distribution) to
people’s health needs”;
Commitment II: making our food systems equitable, enabling all to access nutritious foods.
Commitment III: making our food systems provide safe and nutritious food in a sustainable and
resilient way;
Commitment IV: ensuring that nutritious food is accessible, affordable and acceptable through
the coherent implementation of public policies throughout food value chains.
Commitment V: establishing governments’ leadership for shaping food systems.
Commitment VI: encouraging contributions from all actors in society;
Commitment VII: implementing a framework through which our progress with achieving the
targets and implementing these commitments can be monitored, and through which we will be
held accountable.
22. Commit to launch a Decade of Action on Nutrition guided by a Framework for Action and to
report biennially on its implementation to FAO, WHO and ECOSOC.
23. Commit to integrate the objectives and directions of the Ten Year Framework for Action into
the post-2015 global development efforts.