Child Nutrition and Social Protection Project

active

Accelerating reductions in stunting is a key priority for the Government of PNG for country’s human capital development and, in turn its longer term and growth and productivity. The National Nutrition Policy 2016-26 has adopted a multi-sectoral approach in addressing undernutrition and stunting issues. The Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) III sets ambitious targets to reduce stunting by nearly 20 percent by 2022. The Government recently establishes a Fast Track Initiative (FTI) to Reduce Stunting seeking to catalyze district-led multi-sectoral action to tackle stunting and undernutrition and localize the implementation of evidence-based nutrition interventions, including strengthened health and nutrition services, WASH, food security, parenting and income support for nutrition. At the request of the Government, the World Bank is preparing a nutrition focused operation to support the FTI implementation. The design of the operation will include both supply side and demand side interventions: Component 1 aims to support the implementation of a multi-sectoral community-based stunting reduction and ECD approach – the PNG Community-based Approach to Reduce and End Stunting (PNG CARES) including community mobilization and advocacy to create demand for and change behaviors relevant to nutrition and converge nutrition-sensitive water and sanitation and dietary diversification interventions; strengthening health systems to deliver nutrition-specific services and inter-personal Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC); carry out public awareness campaign; and to promote early childhood stimulation and positive parenting;Component 2 aims to support the implementation of a nutrition-sensitive child grant targeting the first 1,000 days of life, i.e., pregnant mothers and children from 0-2 years old; andComponent 3 aims to support advocacy of the FTI agenda, oversight and coordination of multi-sectoral nutrition relevant interventions, and overall management and monitoring and evaluation.