Second Lao Human Capital Summit to focus on nutrition

The Lao government and its partners have agreed to hold the second Human Capital Summit next year, focusing on the crucial issue of nutrition.
The decision was made at a meeting in Vientiane on Thursday chaired by the Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment, Mrs Phonevanh Outhavong, where the participants were presented a report from the Ministry of Health showing that the nutritional status of Lao children has been declining, particularly in rural areas.

A Khmu health trainer teaches village women about nutrition for young children in Oudomxay province.--Photo World Bank

Human capital - the knowledge, skills and health needed to boost productivity - is the most important form of capital for the growth of society, and Laos is currently not sufficiently developing its human capital to keep pace with other countries.
Nutrition is an area of particular weakness, with about 33 percent of children under five years below the normal height levels for their age, while 21 percent are underweight, and 9 percent are wasted. These are all signs of under-nutrition, which mostly affects the poor and ethnic groups, mainly in rural and upland areas, according to the World Bank.
The World Bank senior economist, Tara Béteille, said: “In Laos, high levels of childhood under-nutrition present a huge but avoidable loss of human and economic potential. Stunting can cause long-term damage that lasts far beyond childhood, including slower learning ability and lower productivity and wages in adulthood. Stunted children cannot develop to their full potential, and this affects national productivity and economic growth.”
At the first Human Capital Summit held in Vientiane in May and chaired by the Prime Minister, Mr Sonexay Siphandone, the government committed to improving the quality of basic education, enrolling all children and keeping them in school, and improving education financing.
The summit helped bring educational deficiencies to public attention, and the recently concluded National Assembly session featured a detailed discussion of education policies and funding. It is hoped the second summit can have a similar effect in focusing attention on nutrition.
While Laos has made progress in combating poverty and nutrition problems in recent years, the combined shocks of Covid-19 and recent economic difficulties are threatening to reverse successes.
World Bank surveys show that around 87 percent of households report being affected by inflation and to cope, many are switching to cheaper food or reducing the amount of food they eat. Data from the National Nutrition Surveillance system indicate a significant drop in the quality of food given to young children, with only one in 10 children fed the minimum diet required to grow, develop and meet their full potential. Altogether, Laos is currently losing around 2.7 percent of GDP due to malnutrition.
The UNICEF representative for Laos, Pia Rebello Britto, said, “Improved nutrition is vital if the country is to turn its potential advantage of a young population into economic and social gains. At the next Human Capital Summit, we can assess if current investments are addressing malnutrition in the most optimal way.”

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update November 24, 2023)