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WHO World Health Organization |
The WHO Regional Office for Europe has been working, in collaboration with the Institute of Nutrition, the State Institute of Preventive Medicine in Moscow and the Russian CINDI (Country-wide Integrated Non-communicable Disease Intervention) network, to develop the Guidebook “Healthy Nutrition: Plan of Action to Develop Regional Programmes in Russia”.
Since 1998, the Norwegian Government has provided considerable support for nutrition policy in northwest Russia (Arkhangelsk and Murmansk). The nutrition policy work in northwest Russia has helped by setting good examples for other Regions.
On September 19 –20, 2000, a conference was held in Arkhangelsk. It was attended by 80 representatives of 18 Russian Regions, joined by representatives of the United States, Norway and Latvia. Among the participants were representatives of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, the State Committee for Statistics, the World Health Organisation and UNICEF.
The Guidebook was endorsed at the conference. The drafting of the Guidebook was carried out in parallel with the development of the Food and Nutrition Action Plan for the WHO European Region 2000-2005.
“The Arkhangelsk Declaration” states: “Nutrition plays a very important role in public health in the Russian Federation. The National Healthy Nutrition Policy of the Russian Federation was adopted in 2000 to run through 2005. There is, therefore, a need for action at the regional and local levels to implement this national policy. Thus a team of Russian and international experts, with WHO support, drafted a guidebook on the development and implementation of Regional Nutrition Programmes in the Russian Federation.
The Guidebook outlines key tasks that should be considered when Regions develop their nutrition policy, including:
building a coalition and local partnerships;
adopting legislation and regulations;
teaching the general public the principles of healthy eating;
training specialists in healthy nutrition;
strengthening the different roles of health services, citizens´ organisations, food production and processing industries, food trade authorities and public catering;
and promoting breastfeeding.
At the conference the Guidebook was endorsed as extremely relevant and approved. The Guidebook was recommended by the participants as a guide for developing and implementing healthy nutrition programmes within the different Regions of the Russian Federation.”
The Guidebook presents a plan of action for each Region to follow, containing recommendations for a Regional Healthy Nutrition Policy including monitoring and evaluation methods to assess the cost effectiveness of different strategies.
Nutrition is vital to public health. Inadequate nutrition is a major determinant of the development of disease. Both deficient and excess intake of different foods contributes to the major deadly diseases in Russia, namely heart disease and stroke. In addition healthy nutrition is vital for pregnant women, infants and young children to ensure the next generation can reach its full health, academic and socio-economic potential. Healthy Regional Nutrition Programmes are therefore essential to prevent disease and promote health.
To ensure the success of Regional Nutrition Programmes the following three key points should be considered:
The production and availability of the right kinds of food needed to maintain health;
Access, including economic access, to healthy, safe food by the public;
Accurate information, based on international science, must be readily accessible, for the public.
According to studies in Russia, fat and sugar consumption is too high whereas the intake of vegetables and fruit is too low. Obesity is a widespread public health problem but, at the same time, studies of low-income families show that up to 14% of adults are underweight. Anaemia is prevalent among pregnant women, infants and young children. Iodine deficiency disorders still exist as unresolved public health problems. Studies show that adolescents consume decreased amounts of milk, kefir, vegetables and fruit. This can potentially lead to insufficient nutrients to meet the increased requirements resulting from rapid growth during adolescence.
Public awareness of healthy nutrition in Russia is low. According to a survey conducted in Novosibirsk, only 3% of men understand the principles of healthy eating.
The purpose of the Guidebook “Healthy Nutrition: Plan of Action to Develop Regional Programmes in Russia” is to help Regions develop their own Regional Nutrition progammes to overcome some of the obstacles to nutritional health in Russia.
For more information on the principles of healthy eating in Russia contact Dr Aileen Robertson
aro@who.dk or see:
http://www.who.dk/Nutrition/main.htm
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United Nations Association of Russia |
A delegation of the United Nations Association of Russia, lead by UNA-Russia Chairman, MGIMO Rector Anatoly Torkunov, at the invitation of the United Nations Association of China, visited the People’s Republic of China in mid-October. During the talks with their colleagues from the United Nations Association of China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, representatives from the Dalian Administration and partners from the Fudan Republic in Shangai covered such issues as bilateral relations and international politics.
The Chinese group expressed quite strongly its support for the on-going process of globalization, stressing that they are able to handle the problem created by the entry of the People’s Republic of China into the international community, and first of all the entry of China in the World Trade Organization. All sides expressed the common position that globalization should not lead to the hegemony in international relations, and especially in the areas of culture and ideology. They opposed the neglect of universally recognized principles of international relations and international law aimed at giving pretext for intervention in sovereign states’ affairs under the slogan of humanitarian intervention.
The Chinese, in turn, claimed the necessity to support the economic and social stability of the country. It stressed that currently, strong consideration should be given to the issues of guaranteed salaries and the development of housing. UNA-Russia underlined that China has played, and will continue to play, a first-rank role in Russian foreign policy.
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A benefit concert was held on November 20 for the World Childrens Day in the Centre for the Temporary Isolation of Juvenile Delinquents of the Central Administration for Internal Affairs of Moscow.
In the introduction to the concert, a Board Member of the UNA-Russia, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation I.O. Rechetov and the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation Oleg Mironov expressed the need to defend children’s rights, independently of their social or national identity.
Despite the complex repertoire, children listened, with great interest to the performance of the Bolshoi Opera Veterans’ choir. And of course, they could but appreciate the performance of the artists from the “Theater of Grandfather Durov”, under the direction of Natalia Durova, where children themselves performed. At the end of the festival, children waited for presents and sweets. The party was definitely for children— a nice tradition, and not only in Moscow. Thanks to UNA-Russia these parties give children who have suffered so much, a chance to feel once again like children.
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April 16 – 19, 2001, the annual Moscow International Model United Nations will be held at MGIMO. The following issues will be covered: General Assembly: new issues in the area of information and telecommunications in the context of international security; Economic and Social Council: the environment and sustainable development; Security Council: the situation in Afghanistan and its influence on international peace and security; International Court (for law students only): debate on the extradition of Augusto Pinochet (Spain/Great Britain, Chile as interested parties).
More information is available on the internet at: www.mgimo.ru; www.una.ru or by contacting the Secretariat of the Moscow International Model United Nations at:
Tel. (095) 434 07 10, Fax (095) 434 30 11,
or e-mail ModelUN@mgimo.ru.
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On the eve of the third millenium for humanity, a very acute problem is that of infectious diseases. UN leads a large-scale battle against these diseases, with special attention paid to tuberculosis, HIV-infection and malaria.
The United Nations Associations of Russia and the United States have organized a contest for young people for the preparation of the UN-Programme’s Report “Health Protection: A Battle Against Infectious Diseases”. The authors of the best papers will be invited to Moscow to present their work, and the three winners will travel to the United States where will be held the Awards Ceremony of the American winners.
The report in Russian should not exceed 7 typed-pages. The participants should be no more than 20-year old (on August 1, 2001). It is mandatory, in the paper, to analyze the problem of infectious diseases in one’s city, comparing it with the world situation and giving one’s proposal to solve the problem.
The papers should be sent before March 15, 2001 to the following address: 129010, Moscow, Prospekt Mira 36, UNA-Russia. Please indicate your contact phone number and address. Internet at: www.una.ru.
Good luck!
