National University of Medical Sciences

From Classroom to Community: Strengthening Nutrition and Child Development Across Pakistan

On 16 April 2026, Dr. Anteneh Girma Minas, Chief, Child Nutrition and Development, UNICEF Pakistan Country Office called on Lt. Gen. Wasim Alamgir, HI (M) (Retd), Vice Chancellor, National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), at the KHINAMS Campus, Islamabad, for the development of a strategic collaboration aimed at strengthening nutrition and Early Childhood Development (ECD) in Pakistan. The meeting was convened with senior participation from both organizations.

The discussions identified key areas of mutual interest and collaboration, including the adaptation and scaling up of UNICEF’s experience in integrating nutrition and ECD into the curriculum for medical and nutrition students, with a view to institutionalizing these approaches within NUMS-affiliated programs and extending their applicability across Pakistan, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir. Both sides also highlighted the importance of working together on advocacy and awareness around healthy diets and nutrition, with a focus on promoting evidence-based messaging in academic and clinical settings, particularly for youth and adolescents.

Furthermore, strengthening capacity was prioritized through a structured series of workshops for graduating students, focusing on national nutrition policies, multisectoral coordination, and preparedness and response in humanitarian and emergency settings. It was agreed that the Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, NUMS, will take the lead in translating these areas of consensus into concrete next steps and developing an actionable framework for collaboration, in close coordination with Dr. Saba Shuja, ECD Specialist, UNICEF Pakistan. The collaboration aligns with SDG 2: Zero Hunger, SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, and SDG 4: Quality Education, and aims to strengthen human resource capacity to address the triple burden of malnutrition.

Both organizations reaffirmed their commitment to sustained collaboration for improving maternal and child health outcomes and advancing national development priorities.