Experts for transparency in public expenditure for nutrition sector

Focus on nutrition governance to achieve SDGs

Experts at a dialogue on December 7, 2022, emphasized ensuring transparency in public expenditure for the nutrition sector.

Nearly 10 percent of the national budget is allocated to the nutrition sector, and proper utilization of these resources is crucial to ensure nutrition governance, they told the dialogue organized by SoMaSHTe.

The speakers focused on nutrition governance to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), saying it is important for the media to play a proactive role in achieving the development targets.

BNNC’s DG addresses the event.

Senior media professionals, officials, representatives of the Bangladesh National Nutrition Council (BNNC), and development experts participated in the dialogue.

It was organized under the European Union-funded “Collective Responsibility, Action and Accountability for Improved Nutrition (CRAAIN)” project, led by Concern Worldwide, an international development organization. SoMaSHTe is implementing multiple interventions in engaging media in nutrition governance under this project.

The BNNC provides strategic support for media engagement.

BNNC Director General Dr. Hasan Shahriar Kabir was the chief guest, while senior journalist and Editor-in-Chief of TV Today Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul presided over the event.

Addressing the dialogue, moderated by SoMaSHTe’s Director Mir Masrur Zaman, the speakers made commitments to emphasize nutrition governance-related news in the media and stressed the importance of improving local journalism.

The chief guest said nutrition governance is mainly related to policies and strategic aspects of the overall nutrition system. Various ministries have (undertaken) specific programmes in light of these (policies and aspects).

There is an opportunity for the media to work closely to examine how the benefits of these programmes are reaching the people. In addition, the media can help spread nutrition-related concepts (among mass people), he opined.

Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul said the media should prioritize the issues related to the public interest, such as nutrition governance. Specialization of journalists should be ensured for covering such topics.