Topic: 2026 – Combating Malnutrition
Country: Sierra Leone
Delegate Name: Ainsley Laverty
The delegation of Sierra Leone is honored to address the critical issue of combating malnutrition and digital equity for children. Sierra Leone is a unitary presidential republic led by Julius Maada Bio, with a population of 8.6 million. After the Sierra Leonean Civil War (1991-2002), it has worked on post-conflict recovery. Which include peacebuilding, and addressing issues like human rights and reducing poverty rates. Sierra Leone joined the United Nations 54 years ago as a nonpermanent member. It has now joined the Security Council after its 11-year civil war to embark on a 20-year post-war rebuilding.
Combating Malnutrition
Malnutrition is a sickness that occurs when an individual’s diet does not provide enough nutrients to sustain them. This is an issue since it affects people daily all over the world, causing poor life quality and high fatality rates. The UN has tried combating malnutrition using different agencies like the World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Attempting efforts like school feeding programs, or emergency food aid. Despite these efforts, malnutrition is still a big problem throughout the world for many different reasons. These reasons include: climate change, lack of political funding, and sanitation issues. The UN’s efforts didn’t work to help these root causes of malnutrition. Sierra Leone is currently combating malnutrition by doing the “feed Salone” initiative, this has been used to produce agricultural productivity, and cuts down on being dependent on food imports. Sierra Leone is using school feeding programs to combat malnutrition for children under five years old, this helps around 300,000 children. This current plan is not working because it only truly supports children under five, and as we know malnutrition does not have an age restriction. The country is still heavily dependent on food imports, it imports lots of rice since it is its staple food. To be less dependent on other countries for food Sierra Leone should provide more government funding towards its agricultural sector, rather than spending that money on imports.
Digital Equity for Children
Children’s digital equity makes sure that all children have continuous access to the internet, used to improve digital literacy skills and help children receive education all around. This matters because it ensures that some children won’t be put at a disadvantage due to not having access to education resources. The UN has tried to ensure digital equity for children through agencies like the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). They have done this by advocating for child online safety, developing global frameworks, and connecting communities and schools. These attempts didn’t work due to infrastructure gaps, affordability, and safety concerns. Sierra Leone has faced digital equity through a “radically inclusive” strategy. The country has created plans like National Digital Learning Strategy (NDLS); Connectivity, Computer, Capabilities, and Content, Learning Passport, and READY Salone. These projects have focused on helping children, women, and the disabled from low-income families access the internet safely. Sierra Leone will continue with these projects, since they are fairly new and working so far, it will use these programs and see the results later on with them.
Sierra Leone proposes that the other countries should put more of its government spending into their domestic agricultural sector, rather than relying on other countries for food. This will help countries from relying fully on imports, and protect them from the possibility of losing ties with the country that is providing food supply. Sierra Leone believes that other countries should create new programs like the ones it has made, to ensure children digital equity.
