India
On Tuesday, 13 May 2008, over 75 guests from NGOs, international agencies, academia and government – including representatives of Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare gathered in Delhi for the India launch of The Lancet’s Series on Maternal and Child Undernutrition. The launch consisted of two events which took place at the India Habitat Centre; a technical briefing with nutrition partners followed by a briefing for the media.
The two-hour technical briefing was led by lead series author Dr. Robert Black of John Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and moderated by Dr. M.K. Bhan, Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology. Following a review of the five papers within the series, participants contributed to a discussion that highlighted the need for coordinated, targeted efforts and a focus on proven strategies and interventions. At the close of the technical briefing, Dr. Bhan suggested a meeting with the Planning Commission to review the findings and offer recommendations.
A media briefing followed with over 40 journalists including The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Telegram, Mail Today and local Hindi press; and bureau chiefs of AP, The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, TIME Magazine and Reuters. Three television cameras included CNN-IBN, NDTV and Sahama TV. Dr. M.K. Bhan, Dr. Black and Dr. Purnima Menon of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) delivered remarks, answered questions and conducted one-on-one interviews with Print and TV reporters.
For additional information, please email info@globalnutrition.org.