5 August 2026, Dushanbe – The Government of Tajikistan and the United Nations in Tajikistan convened the second Joint Steering Committee (JSC) meeting of the joint programme "Transforming Food Systems for Better Nutrition in Tajikistan," funded by the Joint SDG Fund and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The meeting brought together senior government officials, UN agencies and development partners to review implementation progress, validate key achievements and identify opportunities for the second programme year.
Co-chaired by Mr. Mahmud Shirnjonzoda, First Deputy Chair of the Committee for Food Security under the Government of Tajikistan, and Ms. Parvathy Ramaswami, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Tajikistan, the meeting reaffirmed the partners' shared commitment to transforming Tajikistan's food systems to improve nutrition, strengthen food security and accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Shirnjonzoda underlined the importance of food systems transformation as a Government priority, adding:
"Building sustainable food systems requires a holistic approach. The joint programme is helping us to establish this collaborative approach, creating a stronger foundation for policies that improve nutrition, strengthen food security and support the country's long-term development."
Ms. Ramaswami commended the Government of Tajikistan for advancing food systems in partnership with the United Nations and other development partners. She added:
"Food systems transformation is about people. We need to invest in community-based nutrition education, engage girls, boys, women and men to influence food habits, enlist community elders and leaders as champions of healthy diets, integrate nutrition into school curricula, and use digital and social media to advocate for healthy and sustainable living."
Since its launch, the joint programme has supported the drafting of the State Programme on Improving Nutrition of the Population for 2026–2030 and the development of Tajikistan's National Food Systems-Based Dietary Guidelines (FSBDG); advanced a pilot initiative on locally sourced school meals; and continued analytical work on sugar-sweetened beverage taxation and the ENHANCE study on the affordability of healthy diets, informing nutrition-sensitive fiscal policies and public investment decisions.
During the meeting, Joint Steering Committee members reviewed programme implementation, assessed progress against expected results and agreed on strategic recommendations to strengthen multisectoral coordination, address emerging challenges and ensure continued alignment with national development priorities.
The joint programme "Transforming Food Systems for Better Nutrition in Tajikistan" is funded by the UN Joint SDG Fund, a catalytic financing mechanism that supports integrated actions to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In Tajikistan, the joint programme is jointly implemented by FAO, UNICEF, WFP and WHO, in close partnership with the Government of Tajikistan.
The joint programme is supporting Tajikistan in strengthening institutional capacities, improving policy coherence and promoting innovative, evidence-based solutions that place nutrition at the centre of food systems development. By fostering collaboration across sectors — including health, agriculture, education, finance and economic development — the joint programme is advancing a whole-of-government approach to food systems transformation.
Note:
This joint programme is supported by the Joint SDG Fund in collaboration with the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub. All joint programmes of the Joint SDG Fund are led by UN Resident Coordinators and implemented by the agencies, funds, and programmes of the United Nations development system. With sincere appreciation for the contributions from the European Union and Governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Arab Gulf Programme for Development for a transformative movement towards achieving the SDGs by 2030.
