The Federal Ministry of Successfully being, in partnership with the World Successfully being Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Food Programme (WFP), officially launched the Joint UN Initiative for the Prevention of Wasting (JUNIPr) in Ethiopia. The initiative aims to speed up nationwide efforts to prevent child wasting—a severe and life-threatening invent of malnutrition that is affecting more than 11% of Ethiopian children below 5.
The four-day Co-Introduction Workshop, taking whisper in Adama Town from 17–20 July 2025, marks the first step in a 5-year multisectoral initiative to set, test, and scale proof-based mostly totally totally interventions to prevent wasting in children extinct 0 to 18 months. JUNIPr is supported by the Distant places, Commonwealth and Vogue Position of business (FCDO) and is being piloted in Ethiopia, Mali, and Bangladesh.
“Wasting is one in all basically the most urgent but below-addressed public health threats facing our children,” said Mrs. Hiwot Dersane, Ministry of Successfully being first payment (Vitamin Lead Executive Position of business-LEO) throughout the hole session. “This initiative is about prevention, integration, and prolonged-term alternatives. It’s time for Ethiopia to paved the manner.”
JUNIPr builds on the World Action Notion on Child Wasting and the newly launched 2023 WHO Guidelines, focusing on:
- Evidence technology through robust research led by the World Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI);
- Vogue of within the neighborhood tailored intervention packages grounded within the realities of Ethiopian communities.
- Systems strengthening across health, food, water/sanitation (WASH), social protection and numerous sectors.
- Policy affect at nationwide and global stages to make certain that wasting prevention becomes a public health priority.
“JUNIPr represents a shift in how we address malnutrition—transferring from response to prevention, from fragmentation to integration,” said Dr. Bejoy Nambiar, UHC Cluster Lead, WHO. “By plan of this partnership, lets additionally make certain no child suffers from wasting unnecessarily.”
UNICEF and WFP representatives also emphasised the importance of coordinated multisectoral efforts to prevent malnutrition.
Over 40 contributors are attending the workshop, including representatives from regional health bureaus, just a few line ministries, academic institutions, UN agencies, NGOs, and technical experts across key sectors. The workshop involves in-depth discussions, intention back prognosis, coverage mapping, and breakout periods to commence up shaping a comprehensive prevention bundle.
The next stage will comprise in-depth context prognosis, knowledge evaluate, and a 2nd nationwide workshop in early 2026 to finalize the intervention bundle. Ethiopia’s expertise will aid as a mannequin for numerous countries looking out for to address wasting through a programs-based mostly totally totally, collaborative capability.
About JUNIPr
The Joint UN Initiative for the Prevention of Wasting (JUNIPr) is a multi-year, multi-nation partnership between UNICEF, WFP, and WHO, supported by the FCDO. It aims to prevent wasting amongst children 0–18 months in food-frightened settings by figuring out and scaling efficient, multisectoral alternatives. JUNIPr is currently being piloted in Ethiopia, Mali, and Bangladesh.
Technical contact
Andualem Bekele
