East Timor, TIMOR-LESTE: Nutrition International and the Government of Timor-Leste have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) towards a shared goal of reducing stunting and improving nutrition programming in the country. The MoU was signed on February 22, 2024, at the Palacio de Governo in Dili, in the presence of H.E. Mariano Assanami Sabino, Vice Prime Minister of Timor-Leste by Sr. Joel Maria Pereira on behalf of the Mission Unit for Stunting Reduction and Manoj Kumar, Regional Director for Asia, Nutrition International.

Timor-Leste’s Food and Nutrition Survey (2020) revealed the stunting prevalence among children under five years in the country is 47.1%, while rates of young child wasting and underweight are 8.6% and 32.4% respectively. Additionally, the country grapples with a high rate of anaemia, affecting 38% of pregnant women and 29.2% of non-pregnant women in the reproductive age group. These challenges not only threaten the health and wellbeing of the population, but also strain the healthcare system, leading to increased costs. Moreover, long-term consequences include lost productivity and human capital development, which hinders the country’s socioeconomic progress. The partnership between Nutrition International and the Government of Timor-Leste aims to address these issues to improve public health outcomes and foster sustainable development.

“Stunting is a multi-dimensional challenge requiring multisector actions,” said Manoj Kumar, Regional Director for Asia, Nutrition International. “We are committed to sharing our technical expertise in building sustainable high-impact, low-cost solutions and supporting the Government of Timor-Leste in building a synergized strategy that actively involves multiple ministries and departments to combat stunting in the country.”

The UNMICS was established in Timor-Leste through a decree law in December 2022, with the goal of addressing stunting and its associated causes. The unit is responsible for the development and implementation of a national action plan to combat stunting and align stunting reduction efforts with the country’s National Strategic Development Plan (2011-2030).

“The Timor-Leste Government is committed to improving the nutritional status and wellbeing of pregnant and lactating women and children in the country,” said H.E. Mariano Assanami Sabino, chair of the MoU signing event, Vice Prime Minister and Coordinator Minister for Social Affairs. “This commitment has been declared many times by His Excellency President of the Republic, Dr. J. Ramos-Horta.”

With the combined forces of Nutrition International’s evidence-based technical assistance and UNMICS’ dedication to operationalizing the national stunting action plan, the collaboration will strengthen nutrition governance and programming in Timor-Leste. Nutrition International will provide technical assistance to design to establish and bolster a national coordination system that aims to streamline the efforts of various government agencies and development partners as they work towards improving nutrition outcomes. The initiative will also contribute to the development of a comprehensive system for monitoring, tracking and reporting on programming and delivery by all key stakeholders working to reduce child stunting and improve nutrition.

“We appreciate the goodwill of Nutrition International to work as a team with us,” said Sr. Joel Maria Pereira, Executive Director of the Mission Unit for Stunting Reduction. “We believe that through this cooperation the two parties will explore not only challenges, but also opportunities, to better serve people living in vulnerable situations in this beautiful country, especially malnourished children and pregnant mothers. Let’s work together as a strong team to implement our commitment as stated in our MoU.”

Nutrition International serves as an expert ally to governments across Asia and Africa, dedicated to improving the nutritional status of populations at scale. With a track record of delivering strategic technical assistance to policymakers, implementing agencies and funding partners, the organization’s expertise spans a wide spectrum, including nutrition-related services that span policy development and planning, nutrition governance, advocacy, finance and resource mobilization, as well as implementation, multisector coordination and monitoring. The collaboration with UNMICS represents a pivotal step forward and is poised to provide invaluable support to the Government of Timor-Leste as they work to build sustainable systems that address child stunting and eliminate all forms of malnutrition.

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