Today, September 18th, 2023, the Vice Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister of Social Affairs and Minister of Rural Development and Community Housing, Mariano Assanami Sabino, chaired a coordination meeting with the government’s international partner agencies to address the problem of malnutrition and stunting. The meeting took place at the Government Palace in Dili.
The meeting was attended by various representatives of international agencies, including JICA, UNICEF, the World Bank, KOICA, the EU, UNFPA, UNDP, WFP, FAO, WHO, ADB and IFC. The main objective of the meeting was to discuss strategies for tackling the problem of malnutrition in Timor-Leste, which currently affects 47 per cent of the population. In addition to malnutrition, issues related to the challenges faced by young people, such as employment, education and health, were also addressed. 
To ensure effective coordination of efforts and to reach the entire country, including rural and remote areas, a National Technical Working Group for Early Childhood Development (ECD) and a programme steering committee will be set up to harmonise and monitor services, aiming to improve efficiency in programme implementation, in line with the priorities of the 9th Constitutional Government of Timor-Leste.
The Technical Working Group will provide technical input for drafting a Multisectoral ECD Policy and will support the Steering Committee in coordinating and monitoring its implementation.
The Vice Prime Minister emphasised the importance of coordinating efforts to ensure effective action on the ground.
“With regard to these issues, we must hold coordinated meetings to synchronise and harmonise our plans and programmes so that we can act in a coordinated manner and it is possible to monitor and evaluate the results”, said the Minister.
The WFP, the World Bank and UNICEF have been mandated to draw up a plan and a programme for the smooth running of the programme’s steering committee.