Bangladesh
Nutrition governance
The National Food and Nutrition Policy (NFNP), a legal framework for short and long term development policies, plans and programmes, was established in 1997 by the Government of Bangladesh. The NFNP is based on the effective coordination of food and nutrition components from various sectors. The National Plan of Action for Nutrition (NPAN), which is the institutional framework for translating the policy objectives and targets into action, was first launched in 1997 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the government in collaboration with the Bangladesh National Nutrition Council (BNNC). The goal of the NPAN is to improve the nutritional status and quality of life of people of Bangladesh. Ten objectives are mentioned in the document, which address nutrition education and communication, food security and quality, medical and other supporting services and nutrition situation monitoring. In order to achieve these objectives, the NPAN strategy is to ensure the sectoral inputs for various supportive programmes and to have inter-sectoral coordination to make it effective and focused.
The BNNC is currently being revitalised and it is envisaged to be the highest level coordinating mechanism for nutrition, chaired by the Prime Minister. The Terms of Reference for the BNNC, its Executive Council, Technical Standing Sub-Committees and BNNC Secretariat have been revised, with roles and responsibilities outlined and is in the process of endorsement by the Prime Minister.
The convening body for nutrition in the country, the Steering Committee for Nutrition led by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), incorporates representation from 10 government ministries, United Nations agencies, donors, business, academic and technical institutions. It is chaired by the Senior Secretary, MoHFW.
NIPN implementation
Helen Keller International (HKI) is leading a consortium with the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) to set up the NIPN. The analysis unit will be hosted by the BBS, while BIDS will facilitate the work of the NIPN advisory committee. HKI will manage the project and provide technical support. Project activities started in January 2018.
Project resources
| Title / Summary | Authors | Publication date |
| Opening the policy space: the dynamics of nutrition policy making in Bangladesh Based on a combination of a desk review, key informant interviews and content analysis, the authors provide a historical overview of the process of nutrition policy development in Bangladesh and analyse the process by which the current National Nutrition Policy has been developed, formulated and adopted. | Asif Mohammad Shahan, Ferdous Jahan | 2017-09 |