Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2019: Placing Nutrition at the Centre of Social Protection

By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

To achieve SDG 2 in the region, more than 3 million people must escape hunger each month from now until December 2030.

In most countries in the region, the diets of more than half of all very young children (aged 6–23 months) fail to meet minimum standards of diversity, leading to micronutrient deficiencies that affect child development and therefore the potential of future generations. The high prevalence of stunting and wasting among children under five years of age is a result of these deficiencies. Only four countries in the region are on track to meet the global target of a 40 percent reduction in the number of stunted children between 2012 and 2025.At the same time, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is rising steadily among children and adults, negatively affecting health and well-being. Addressing the resultant burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases places great strain on national healthcare budgets and also causes productivity losses.

Social protection is an important way of reducing inequality and mitigating the impacts of disasters, and it is expanding in the region. A special section of this report discusses how to develop social protection programmes that accelerate progress in eradicating hunger and malnutrition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• Release date: Jan 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9789251320921

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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FAO, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. 2019. Placing Nutrition at the Centre of Social Protection. Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2019. Bangkok, FAO.

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LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC. Local school children eat their meals at the Ban Bor Primary School in Xay District.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

KEY MESSAGES

INTRODUCTION

PART 1

MONITORING PROGRESS TOWARDS IMPROVED FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

1.1 Undernourishment

1.2 Food insecurity

1.3 Stunting among children under five years of age

1.4 Wasting among children under five years of age

1.5 Low birth weight

1.6 Overweight among children under five years of age

1.7 Adult overweight and obesity

1.8 Minimum dietary diversity for children aged 6–23 months

1.9 Exclusive breastfeeding for infants up to six months of age

1.10 Anaemia in women of reproductive age

1.11 Conclusions

PART 2

SELECTED DEVELOPMENTS IN THE REGION

2.1 Economic growth, inequality and the incomes of the poor

2.2 Food prices

2.3 Disasters

2.4 Selected food-related policies that affect nutrition

2.5 Conclusions

PART 3

WHY INCLUDE SOCIAL PROTECTION INSTRUMENTS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST FOOD INSECURITY AND MALNUTRITION?

3.1 Pathways by which social protection can contribute to better food security and nutrition

3.2 Food security and nutrition outcomes are not automatic

3.3 How to make social protection work for food security and nutrition

3.4 How can social protection ensure that food security and nutrition don’t deteriorate, even in times of crisis?

3.5 What is required to build risk-informed, shock-responsive social protection systems?

3.6 Conclusions: Learning from experiences

ANNEX TO PART 1

NOTES

TABLES, FIGURES AND BOXES

TABLES

1 Key Nutrition-Sensitive principles

FIGURES

1 Prevalence of undernourishment in Asia and the Pacific, by country, 2016–2018

2 Trends in the prevalence of undernourishment in Asia and the Pacific, by subregion, 2000–2018

3 Explanation of food-insecurity severity levels measured by the FIES in SDG indicator 2.1.2

4 Prevalence of food insecurity in Asia and the Pacific, by subregion, 2014–2018

5 Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the three Asian subregions, by sex (average for 2016–2018)

6 Prevalence of stunting in children under five years of age in Asia and the Pacific, by country, latest available year

7 Decrease in the number of stunted children under five years of age in Asia and the Pacific, by subregion, 2000–2018

8 Percentage of children under five years of age suffering from wasting in Asia and the Pacific, by country, latest available year

9 Prevalence of low birth weight in countries and subregions in Asia and the Pacific, country, 2015

10 Comparison of prevalence of low birth weight in 2000, 2012 and 2015, by subregion, Asia and the Pacific

11 Prevalence of overweight in children under-five years of age in Asia and the Pacific, by country, latest available year

12 Prevalence of overweight among children under-five years of age in Asia and the Pacific, by subregion, 2000 and 2018

13 Trends in the prevalence of adult overweight (including obesity) in Asia, by country, 2000 and 2016

14 Trends in the prevalence of adult overweight (including obesity) in Pacific subregion, by country, 2000 and 2016

15 Percent of children aged 6–23 months meeting minimum dietary diversity in Asia and the Pacific, by country, latest available year

16 Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in infants younger than six months of age in Asia and the Pacific, by country, latest available year

17 Prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age in Asia, by country, 2000 and 2016

18 Prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age, Pacific, subregion, sby country, 2000 and 2016

19 Average annual growth (per decade) of real gross domestic product per capita, by region, 1990–2017

20 Relationship between gross national income per capita and coverage of social assistance programmes, countries in Asia and the Pacific.

21 Stunting, by wealth quintile, selected countries in Asia, latest available year

22 Examples of policies and programmes aimed at preventing or reducing overweight and obesity

23 Current policy situation on trans-fatty acids, Asia and the Pacific

24 Potential pathways to nutrition through social protection

25 Five key options for shock-responsive social protection

26 Three-tiered risk-layering strategy for governments

A1 Prevalence of childhood stunting, sex-disaggregated country data

A2 Prevalence of childhood wasting, sex-disaggregated country data

A3 Prevalence of childhood overweight, sex-disaggregated country data

BOXES

1 How did the Asian economic crisis affect food security in South-eastern Asia?

2 Tools used in the region to inform social protection design

3 Focusing on the first 1 000 days

4 Shock-responsive social protection ensures food security and nutrition outcomes

5 Integrating climate and disaster vulnerability data in a social registry

FOREWORD

This is the second annual report developed collaboratively by United Nations agencies on progress in Asia and the Pacific towards Sustainable