Media CenterIntegrated Nutrition Conference 2016 Brings Together Government, Business and Non-Profits to Fight Global Hunger

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Tom Price
Catholic Relief Services
[email protected]
(410) 951-7450

NAIROBI CONTACT:
Carol Mukiri
Catholic Relief Services
+254 (0)733848233

Experts to gather in Nairobi, November 14 to 16

BALTIMORE, MD, November 7, 2016 – Hundreds of experts from around the world are coming to Nairobi, finding ways to work together to accelerate progress against malnutrition. The second Integrated Nutrition Conference, sponsored by Catholic Relief Services (CRS), will take place on November 14-16.

“Every year, malnutrition claims the lives of 3 million children under five and costs the global economy billions in lost productivity and health costs,” said Schuyler Thorup, Executive Vice President for Overseas Operations for CRS. “These losses are almost entirely preventable. This year’s conference will look especially at how we can harness the resources and reach of the private sector in this fight.”

On November 14, Thorup will be joined in opening the conference by Gladys Mugambi, Head of the Nutrition and Dietetics Unit of Kenya’s Ministry of Health, and the Most Rev. Martin Kivuva, Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa, Kenya.

Chris Policinski, President & CEO, Land O’Lakes, Inc. will deliver the conference’s opening keynote address: “Improving Nutrition in Food Insecure Markets.”

That will be followed by two full days of panels, talks and discussions among global leaders in the areas of nutrition, water and sanitation, agriculture, health, early childhood development, education, and gender who will share ways of improving nutritional outcomes for vulnerable populations.

The conference will bring together representatives of humanitarian agencies – CRS, Action Against Hunger, World Food Programme, UNICEF, and many others – universities, including Purdue, Ryerson and North Carolina State, as well as local, regional and international businesses, such as Procter & Gamble (P&G).

“For every dollar invested in improving nutrition for pregnant women and children under two years of age, a return of $48 in better health and economic productivity can be expected. CRS focuses on providing adequate nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life in over 33 projects around the world,” Thorup said. “There is an urgent need for global action on nutrition. This conference is an exciting opportunity to explore ways to make that happen.”

The conference will take place at the Jacaranda Hotel. On Nov. 16, there will be an exhibition by businesses and organizations offering products and services relevant to the conference at the nearby Sarit Centre.

For more information, visit the Integrated Nutrition Conference website.

###

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency alleviates suffering and provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. For more information, please visit crs.org or crsespanol.org and follow CRS on social media: Facebook, @CatholicRelief, @CRSnews, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.