Bangladesh
With the leadership of Dr. Tahmeed Ahmed of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICCDR,B), The Lancet’s Series on Maternal and Child Undernutrition was launched in Bangladesh on January 27, 2008. The event took place at the Sasakawa Auditorium in Dhaka and was hosted by ICDDR,B. In addition to Dr. Tahmeed, event speakers included Dr. Abul Faiz, Director General, Department of Health; Mr. Matiur Rahman, Editor, Prothom Alo (one of the largest circulation daily newspapers in Bangladesh); Mr. Biman Kumar Saha, Executive Director, National Nutrition Program; and Dr. Bob Black, Lead Series Author, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The event, a morning briefing, was well-attended by a high-level government officials and key representatives from the global health advocates and resulted in significant key achievements for the nutrition community. The Director General committed to make a valiant effort to improve the profile of nutrition in Bangladesh, and Mr. Rahman agreed to dedicate substantial media coverage to nutrition. In a country where the press heavily influences policy and shapes subsequent actions, this promise was truly a landmark achievement.