Sustainable Micronutrient Interventions to Control Deficiencies and Improve Nutritional Status and General Health in Asia

1. To review the latest knowledge regarding micronutrient needs of women in reproductive age and young children and map research studies, pilot and large interventions carried out at international, regional and selected Asian country level to prevent malnutrition in these vulnerable groups;

2. To define the nutritional situation and policy development of each country;

3. To map current intervention s carried out in selected South East Asia (SEA) countries and identify their positive and negative elements , constraints, limits and gaps that may explain their success or failure;

4. To apply recent new knowledge and tools to support the implementation of food-based interventions especially in the poorest populations;

5. To define , from the four precedent actions, and prioritize for each country the most pragmatic, feasible, operational and sustainable set of strategies (ranging from supplementation to foodbased approaches and non-nutritional measures), as well as their integration, time frame for development and the required support (financial, human and political) for effective implementation.

6. To understand the perceptions and requirements of stakeholders inside and outside the nutrition community on the selected strategies (by using Multi-Criteria Mapping method) and adjust/adapt accordingly the strategies.

7. To consult and disseminate widely outputs in order to attain the highest level of political engagement and involvement of public and private sectors, communities, families, NGOs and international organizations.

8. To develop an agenda for decision makers and donors that sets out a strategic framework for nutrition intervention priorities at each selected country level and funding and resource requirements at regional and international level.