Taguig City, PHILIPPINES: The National Nutrition Council (NNC) and Nutrition International have joined forces to advocate for stronger political support and increased investments for nutrition in the Philippines, with a focus on fast-tracking improvements in interventions that enhance the health and nutrition of pregnant women and young children.

The Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2023-2028 revealed that micronutrient deficiencies are a significant issue that impacts the population. Among children aged 10-12 years old, the national prevalence of iodine deficiency is 12.4%, while it climbs to 22% among lactating women. Anemia is also a public health concern, affecting 23% among pregnant women nationwide. Moreover, 5.5% of children under five suffer from wasting, while a further 26.6% are affected by stunting and 15.5% experience Vitamin A deficiency. In total, calculations from Nutrition International’s Cost of Inaction Tool show stunting costs the Philippines USD $8.1 billion every year. This partnership between the NNC and Nutrition International aims to address the malnutrition burden by advocating for higher and more focused, multisector investments in nutrition.

Nutrition International’s partnership with the NNC is a pivotal step toward realizing our shared vision of a healthier, thriving Philippines,” said Assistant Secretary Dr. Azucena Dayanghirang, Executive Director, NNC. “Evidence from other countries underscores the key role of robust public expenditure in addressing malnutrition. The need for increased advocacy and investment in nutrition is more important than ever as we work to ensure that every Filipino can reach their full potential.”

Through the partnership, Nutrition International will provide technical assistance to the NNC, aimed at repositioning nutrition as central to the health and outcomes of the Philippines future development among key decision-makers. The engagement seeks to increase budgetary and human resource allocations for nutrition across various government departments by building the capacity of the NNC team and nutrition champions to effectively utilize data from Nutrition International’s Cost of Inaction Tool – an evidence-based analytical tool that generates estimates on the health, human capital and economic costs of inaction on malnutrition for over 140 countries.

“The cost of inaction on malnutrition by national and local governments far exceeds the burden of increased healthcare costs and diminished future productivity,” said Robyn Bright, Director of Global Advocacy, Nutrition International. “By combining the cost of inaction estimates with scenario-building, we possess powerful, evidence-driven advocacy tools to build the capacities of policymakers and decision-making bodies to sustain investments in nutrition.”

Working alongside government units, civil society partners, and various development and academia stakeholders, Nutrition International and the NNC will develop a comprehensive nutrition advocacy strategy. The strategy aims to identify the barriers and opportunities in ensuring nutrition is a key priority in annual budgets and future planning. Moreover, it will deepen the understanding of the local nutrition financing landscape, harnessing economic arguments to effectively prioritize nutrition. The ultimate goal is to establish a network of dedicated nutrition champions embedded within the Government of the Philippines, thus fostering continuous progress in advancing nutrition priorities.

To initiate the collaboration, Nutrition International and the NNC, with support from the Philippine Association of Nutrition, Inc. are coordinating an inception workshop to map the policy and budget processes, aligning them with current political priorities to shape the nutrition narrative. Learnings from the workshop coupled with the establishment of nutrition champions will inform the future development and implementation of strategies that national agencies and local government units can adopt to pledge their commitment to sustained investment in nutrition.

The collaboration between Nutrition International and the NNC marks a significant advancement and is posed to provide invaluable technical assistance to the Government of the Philippines in their endeavor to eliminate all forms of malnutrition.

Learn more about Nutrition International’s work to improve the health of women and children in the Philippines.

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