Azerbaijan, Baku, July 1 / Trend V.Zhavoronkova /
Despite improvements in the past decade, 22 percent of all deaths among children under five in the Kyrgyz Republic is caused by undernutrition, according to a UN report launched on June 30. The report was released at a meeting jointly organized by the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and the World Bank.
Besides the loss of lives, the burden of malnourishment in the Kyrgyz Republic is also substantial in economic terms, estimated to be US$32 million annually.
Scaling up nutrition interventions, therefore, is crucial to prevent loss of children`s lives and is a strategic economic investment with high returns, according to the Situational Analysis - Improving Economic Outcomes by Expanding Nutrition Programming in the Kyrgyz Republic, the UN reported.
The report presentation ceremony was attended by UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. The event in Bishkek was one of the last during Lake's official visit to Kyrgyzstan (June 28-30).
During the visit, he was in the city of Osh, where he attended the opening of the Youth Centre in the village Asanchek, visited the Kara-Suu maternity hospital, and Dostuk Children's Center. He also visited the Rehabilitation Center for Children in Bishkek.
He met with the president and prime minister of Kyrgyzstan, the heads of UN national agencies, and with representatives of the donor community and NGOs.