Asifa Bhutto Zardari Reaffirms Support for WFP’s Zero Hunger Efforts
Asifa Bhutto Zardari meets a WFP delegation in Karachi to discuss nutrition and food security.
First Lady Asifa Bhutto Zardari has reaffirmed her support for the United Nations World Food Programme’s efforts to advance food security and nutrition in Pakistan.
A delegation led by WFP Pakistan Representative and Country Director Anita Hirsch met the First Lady in Karachi on Wednesday. The meeting focused on nutrition, school meals, food security and climate resilience.
Senator Sherry Rehman, Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab and Foreign Office Director General Irfan Soomro also attended.
WFP Briefs First Lady on Nutrition Programmes
The WFP delegation briefed Asifa Bhutto Zardari on its work under the Benazir Nashonuma Programme, school meals and other nutrition initiatives.
WFP’s latest figures show that Benazir Nashonuma has reached more than 4.6 million women and children since its launch in 2020. The programme supports pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under two from vulnerable households.
In July, WFP, BISP, WHO and UNICEF announced a three-year extension of the programme. The extension aims to protect an additional 3.3 million women and children from malnutrition.
The delegation also highlighted WFP’s school meals programme and interventions covering acute malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, water and sanitation, and climate resilience.
First Lady Calls for Integrated Child Healthcare
Asifa Bhutto Zardari stressed the importance of the Benazir Nashonuma Programme in Pakistan’s efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2, which seeks to end hunger.
She called for an integrated approach to maternal and child health. The approach should include breastfeeding, immunisation, nutrition and early childhood development.
The First Lady also highlighted the need to reduce infant mortality and childhood stunting. She stressed the importance of accessible paediatric healthcare and referred to the work of the ChildLife Foundation.
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Furthermore, she called for greater national attention to population growth and its impact on health, education and development.
School Meals and Kitchen Gardens
The First Lady welcomed WFP’s school meals initiative. She expressed particular interest in centralised kitchen models.
She also proposed greater emphasis on school-based agriculture and kitchen gardens. Such initiatives, she said, could give children practical lessons in nutrition, agriculture and healthy food.
Sindh has already been working with WFP on nutrition and school meals. A provincial government meeting in February also reviewed plans for a WFP school meals initiative in vulnerable districts, including Karachi.
Climate Resilience Remains a Priority
Referring to Pakistan’s devastating 2022 floods, Asifa Bhutto Zardari stressed the need to move beyond emergency response.
She called for stronger early-warning systems, anticipatory action and community resilience.
The First Lady also highlighted Sindh’s programme to construct around 2.1 million flood-resilient homes. According to the press release, ownership is being provided to women in beneficiary households.
She further highlighted development and social-sector initiatives in Sindh, particularly in Thar.
WFP Highlights Disaster Preparedness
The WFP delegation briefed the First Lady on its work in anticipatory action and disaster-risk financing.
The discussions also covered early-warning systems, climate-resilient agriculture and measures to protect livelihoods and livestock from natural disasters.
WFP programmes also support kitchen gardening, community food security and women-led livelihoods in flood-affected areas.
First Lady Reaffirms Support
Asifa Bhutto Zardari reaffirmed her support for WFP’s efforts to achieve Zero Hunger in Pakistan.
She also pledged to support advocacy and public-awareness initiatives focused on nutrition and food security.
The First Lady expressed continued support for WFP’s ShareTheMeal initiative, to which she has personally contributed.
She stressed the importance of sustained cooperation among the government, the United Nations and development partners.
The goal, she said, should remain ensuring that vulnerable women and children have access to adequate nutrition, healthcare and education.
