On June 20, the meeting of the National Coordinating Council on Health and Social Protection of the Population under the Government of the Republic was carried out in Tajikistan. The Council consists of deputy heads of all ministries and departments in charge of social direction.
First Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection of the Population Saida Umarzoda reminded the participants: "Protecting the health of the population is one of the priorities of the Government's social policy, and food security and nutrition are an important condition for national development and the well-being of the population."
Therefore, one of the most important issues discussed by the participants was how the Government's decisions are implemented under the Concept of School Meals Improvement in general educational institutions and the Strategy for Sustainable Development of School Feeding in the Republic of Tajikistan for the period until 2027. The participants shared the results of their activities, outlined the problems they had to face. Vladimir Chernigov gave his recommendations based on the SIFI experience in similar international and Russian projects.
Following the meeting, the participants adopted a protocol and resolution, which clearly identified all the deficiencies in the implementation of the Strategy, as well as instructions for their elimination.
The most important thing is that the responsible ministries and departments were instructed to create all the necessary conditions for the development of the National Programme for the Development of School Meals for the Period from 2021 to 2027.
Currently, school meals in Tajikistan are not singled out as a separate direction of state policy, but all the prerequisites already exist and regulatory frameworks are being developed for the sustainable development of the Programme. Every year the path to the implementation of the National School Meals Programme is becoming shorter.
In 2015 with WFP and SIFI participation the Concept of School Meals Improvement in general educational institutions was developed and approved by a government resolution. It contains recommendations for the design and implementation of programs through the National School Nutrition Development Strategy and a set of measures involving all relevant ministries and departments, development partners and the population.