“Situational Analysis - Improving Economic Outcomes by Expanding Nutrition Programming in the Kyrgyz Republic”; World Bank and UNICEF Report Launch

1. “Situational Analysis -
Improving Economic Outcomes by Expanding
Nutrition Programming in the Kyrgyz Republic”
World Bank and UNICEF Report Launch
30 June 2011
Undernutrition in the Kyrgyz Republic is an im- months of age. The next two priorities should be
portant public health problem. Stunting, low birth to provide pregnant women with iron and folic acid
weight, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies are or multiple micronutrients, and to support ongoing
major barriers to the country achieving its Millen- salt iodisation and flour fortification.
nium Development Goals (MDGs). Undernutrition
also costs the country US$32 million annually in These investments will be a significant contribu-
lost productivity due to increased mortality and tion towards improving chances of achieving the
reduced cognitive and physical development. Ef- MDGs in the Kyrgyz Republic, and also provide
fective, evidence-based interventions addressing excellent economic returns on the investments
the immediate causes of undernutrition should be made. While focusing on the immediate causes
scaled up. of undernutrition, opportunities to address the un-
derlying and basic causes of undernutrition should
The joint World Bank/UNICEF report “Situation- also be developed and exploited through social
al Analysis - Improving Economic Outcomes by protection and agriculture, among other sectors.
Expanding Nutrition Programming in the Kyrgyz
Republic” suggests that the highest priority be The findings demonstrate that scaling up high-
assigned to interventions that will improve infant impact cost-effective nutrition interventions averts
and young child feeding. This includes the early significant financial loss and therefore is a highly
initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breast- beneficial strategic economic investment. “Invest-
feeding in the first six months of age, timely and ment in nutrition equals good fiscal policy” is a
appropriate complementary feeding, including mi- message that needs to reach policy makers.
cronutrient powders and breastfeeding up to 24
INVESTMENT IN NUTRITION EQUALS GOOD FISCAL POLICY

2. Examples of Benefits of Promoting iron,anemia could be reduced by approxi-
Good Nutritional Practices: mately 20 percent and this would result in
an annual gain of US$ 1.21 million in future
• Exclusive breastfeedingin the first 6 months productivity.
prevents 7.4 per cent of infant deaths per
year. • Providingappropriate complementary
foods and education strategies in food-
• A balanced energy protein supplement for insecure households will reduce stunting
mothers-to-beis estimated to prevent 17 and result in an estimated US$ 2.1 million
percent of infant deaths attributable to un- benefit per year in the Kyrgyz Republic.
dernutrition in the Kyrgyz Republic. This
would reduce nearly US$ 800,000 in eco- • Expanding the current deworming program
nomic losses each year. would result in future annual gains in pro-
ductivity of US$ 450,000.
• Three quarters of the country’s salt is now
iodized. Reaching 100 per cent salt iodi- • Zinc for the management of diarrhoea has
sation would result in an annual benefit of not beenintroduced as the standard man-
US$500,000 of increased worker produc- agement of diarrhea in the Kyrgyz Repub-
tivity each year. lic. Introducing this intervention and scaling
it up nationwide would result in US$ 2.28
• If all children between 6-24 months re- million in economic benefits each year.
ceived micronutrient powders containing
INVESTMENT IN NUTRITION EQUALS GOOD FISCAL POLICY