SAARC conference on Children's Affairs:

Attention on IDPs' children and malnutrition

Rafik JALALDEEN

Special attention was given to improve the livelihood of IDPs' children and to minimise malnutrition in Sri Lanka and in the SAARC regional countries in general at the SAARC conference on Children's Affairs.

Addressing the media at the Information Department after the fourth SAARC Ministers of Children's Affairs conference yesterday, Child Development and Women's Empowerment Minister Sumedha Jayasena said that its out come was successful. Special attention were given to improve the livelihood of war affected children living in the IDP camps, she added.

She said that the SAARC Regional Ministers on Children's Affairs have discussed how to improve rights of children as well as to eliminate child labour, initiate and strengthen community based social support system, reduce the under- 5 mortality rate, lessen severe and moderate malnutrition and enable all children of primary school age to complete school.

Minister Jayasena asserted that the SAARC Ministers in order to achieve a common goal and share a common vision for children in South Asia had agreed and addressed several factors in order to collectively resolve them urgently.

The Minister noted that the Government had introduced many programs to reduce malnutrition in rural and urban areas.