Nutrition situation
Under five stunting (%)
33.1
Under five overweight (%)
3.5
Anaemia in women 15-49 years (%)
39.7
Under five wasting (%)
9
Low birth weight (%)
17.3
0 to 5-month-old exclusive breastfeeding (%)
44.4
Adolescent overweight (%)
Male: 14.1
/ Female: 10.9
Adult overweight (%)
Male: 22.5
/ Female: 27.9
Adult obesity (%)
Male: 3.7
/ Female: 6.7
Adult diabetes (%)
Male: 7.7
/ Female: 7.6
COVID-19 snapshot
Coordinated government and partner response. National nutrition programme guidance was made available for service providers. Infant and Young Child Feeding during COVID-19 behaviour change messages were developed. Pipeline of essential commodities was secured. SUN stakeholders participated in virtual SUN regional meeting.
Institutional transformations 2019-2020
Bringing people together into a shared space for action
Multi-stakeholder and multisectoral platforms exist at both the national and subnational level, with the levels often being linked. The 5th Annual Nutrition Forum meeting was held in December 2019 and brought together over 250 multisectoral stakeholders. Provincial nutrition committees and secretariats exist in all provinces and bring together the education, agriculture, planning, health, donor and NGO partners. There are district nutrition committees and regular SUN Network meetings.Ensuring a coherent policy and legal framework
The National Plan of Action on Nutrition (NPAN) 2021–2025 is being revised by experts and is expected to be completed by 2021. The Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes decree entitled “On Food Products and Feeding Equipment for Infants and Toddlers” was signed by the Prime Minister of Lao PDR in December 2019, a result of advocacy and technical assistance from United Nations and civil society alliance. The SUN Business Network Laos strategy plan was endorsed by the National Nutrition Center.Aligning actions around common results
National Nutrition Centre Secretariat/Office reports quarterly and annually to members and the General Assembly about progress and updates on the National Nutrition Strategy and Plan of Action. Development of a Model Nutrition Villages Handbook has been developed, with the approval of the Prime Minister, and is being disseminated to all provinces throughout the country for implementation. The limitation of nutrition service delivery remains primarily due to limited capacity of health staff.Financial tracking and resource mobilisation
The National Assembly has continued prioritising nutrition and pays significant attention to monitoring the implementation of nutrition programmes according to budget allocation and a set of indicators. Most internal funding support is aligned with the NPAN and the national and subnational priority geographical areas. The majority of financial support for the multisectoral coordination on nutrition depends on external financing.2020-2021 Priorities
- Update the National Plan of Action for Nutrition 2021–2025.
- Implement the code of marketing and enforcement.
- Upgrade the nutrition centre to the institute.
- Conduct nutrition surveillance activities.
- Conduct the national research “LSIS3”.
- Mapping exercise completed for 2021.
- Promote nutrition and make recommendations for postpartum women in 18 provinces during COVID-19.
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