MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government and Unicef jointly launched the secretariat of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement here on Monday.

The SUN movement brings together people, governments, civil society, the UN, donors, businesses and researchers in a collective effort to improve nutrition.

The government of Pakistan joined the SUN movement in January 2013 and agreed to establish secretariats at the national and provincial levels.

With its launch in Muzaffarabad, the SUN secretariat will enable the AJK government to plan to scale up nutrition optimally through multi-sectoral and stakeholder coordination.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, AJK Minister for Health, Finance, Planning and Development Dr Najeeb Nagi said no single government, organisation or intervention could alone achieve the goal of ending global malnutrition.

`It is only through working together on all fronts by establishing powerful partnerships like the SUN move-ment which can help change the global landscape from one of hunger to one of hope until no one suffers from malnutrition,` he said.

`Our government is committed to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition in light of the UN Sustainable Development Goals,` he said, adding the establishment of the SUN secretariat was a major milestone in that direction.

Angela Kearney, Country Representative of Unicef, said tackling malnutrition, especially in mothers and children, was one of the greatest challenges facing Pakistan today.

`It can be done but only if we all combine our efforts, pull together, work in partnership and prioritise. Let me also assure you that Unicef Pakistan will continue to support all efforts to improve the nutritional status of children in Pakistan,` she said, expressing gratitude to all stakeholdersfor standingunitedforthe noble cause.

Mr Aslam Shaheen, Chief Nutrition Planning Commission, spoke about the vision and mission of the movement and its activities in Pakistan.

The federal government had signalled its commitment to scaling up nutrition and Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms was currently spearheadingthe movement in the country, said Mr Shaheen, who is also the SUN focal person.

He said the SUN movement secretariat in the nutrition section of the Ministry of Planning Development and Reforms was the coordinating body for all the SUN networks.

Dr Mubarik Ali, member Food Security and Climate Change, presented the results of a study `Assessment report on the economic consequences of under-nutrition in Pakistan.

The report, prepared using computer modelling undertaken for 15 indicators of under-nutrition, found that the economic consequences emerging from the current prevalence as documented in the National Nutrition Survey (2011) and the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (2013) were $7.6 billion annually nearly 3pc of the GDP.

Earlier, Mohammad Ahsan, Secretary P&D Department, presented AJK`s inter-sectoral nutrition strategy that provides a roadmap of interventions planned to improve nutritional status of the AJK population.

The 2011 National Nutrition Survey showed that 32pc of children under five years of age in AJK were stunted, 18pc wasted and about 26pc underweight.