Topic: 2026 – Combating Malnutrition
Country: Vietnam
Delegate Name: Zainab Ali
POSITION PAPER
COMMITTEE: UNICEF
AGENDA: Combatting Malnutrition
DELEGATION: Vietnam
Malnutrition—referring to deficiencies, excesses, or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients—is a violation of children’s rights. According to the State of the World’s Children 2019: Children, Food and Nutrition report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), one in three children under five is not properly growing due to malnutrition. The triple burden of malnutrition—undernutrition, hidden hunger, and overweight—threatens the survival, growth, and development of children, as well as economies and nations. This not only puts the populace’s health at stake but also nations’ stances on a global scale- this dilemma acting as both a driver and consequence of instability, poverty, and hindered development. If not provided a resolution sooner, the health and productivity of societies will significantly diminish, leading to economic losses, social inequalities, increased rates of chronic disease, and multigenerational cycles of poverty. With this, the state of Vietnam reiterates the necessity of international cooperation and solidarity from each nation to prohibit measures not in accordance with international law and that endanger food and nutrition security. Instead, embracing the notion of organizing collective solutions to global issues of food and nutrition security in a world of interlinked institutions, societies, and economies
Over the past decades, Vietnam has experienced rapid growth accompanied by significant shifts in diet, lifestyle, and health behaviors. Undernutrition and overnutrition now coexist as a result of this shift. More specifically, the correlation between these effects and behaviors indicated that this change occurred during the 1990s, when we experienced a drastic boom from Doi Moi reforms, with GDP growth averaging around 7% annually. Unfortunately, our strong economy and globalization have encouraged the consumption of highly processed foods that are full of artificial flavorings, sugar, and chemicals, so it is now only natural that Vietnamese children face the growing probability of obesity. In fact, data from the National Institute of Nutrition shows that the rate of overweight and obesity among school-aged children has more than doubled in a decade, from 8.5 percent in 2010 to 19 percent in 2020. And in all, a general 38% increase was reported in overweight cases, surpassing many neighboring countries. The crisis is particularly threatening in urban centers, where, in Ho Chi Minh City, over 50% of youth are identified as overweight or obese. By contrast, rural areas report a lower prevalence at 18.3 percent, though the numbers are still climbing. Poor nutrition, too, leaves its mark on our generations’ adolescents, with 1.8 million children under five and more than one-third of ethnic minorities of the same age bracket classified as stunted. And 58% have deficiencies in zinc, which is imperative for proper immune and cell development alongside the ability to heal. It is illustrated that victims of undernutrition were regarded as residing in rural areas, children with low birth weight, and those with poor socio-economic status, whereas living in urban and affluent areas and having an inactive lifestyle were associated with increased risk of overweight and obesity (National Institute of Health).
The delegation of Vietnam has made an array of efforts in order to mitigate the effects of obesity and undernutrition on our youth and citizens. In 2023, our Ministry of Health released Circular 29/2023, which provides guidelines for mandatory nutrition labeling on food products. In 2022, our ministry implemented updated guidelines for the treatment and diagnosis of obesity, expressing the delegation’s desire to explore and properly approach the rising problem. Most relevant, the government’s National Nutrition Strategy for 2021-2030, with a vision to 2045, intends to better the nutritional status of adults and children with goals to improve water and sanitation, promote food and nutrition literacy, and reduce food waste so that good-quality food reaches those who need it most. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular the Sustainable Development Goals on ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, promoting sustainable agriculture, and ending poverty in all its forms everywhere, is the most important UN resolution that we repeatedly cite while anticipating our tread. UNICEF Vietnam has additionally aided in the support of drafting multiple resolutions for addressing and combatting malnutrition. SAM helps health authorities provide life-saving therapies, policy and guideline support, and advocacy and spreads awareness regarding the problem, too.
The delegation of Vietnam proposes a multi-step solution so as to alleviate the effects of malnutrition on both a domestic and international scale. Firstly, the delegation asks for the international commitment of the UN to the Rome Declaration on Nutrition to enshrine the right of everyone to access safe and sufficient food, swaying governments into preventing malnutrition in all forms. Secondly, the delegation of Vietnam’s National Nutrition Strategy for 2021-2030 is a notable draft for the UN, where we bid with funding from mandatory accessed contributions and emphasize implementing proper nutrition from rural to urban areas within facilities/schools, strengthening communication and education on said topic, and promoting basic research on nutrition and food suitable for both Vietnamese and global children to adapt to local conditions.
Sources
https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/718687?ln=en&v=pdf
Policies, Interventions and Actions: Vietnam
Prevalence, determinants, intervention strategies and current gaps in addressing childhood malnutrition in Vietnam: a systematic review – PMC
Vietnam’s Obesity Crisis: A Growing Public Health Challenge – Broadsheet Asia
https://www.unicef.org/vietnam/nutrition
