Sorghum warehouse in Renk County, Upper Nile State. | 3rd June 2022 | Credit; Michael Daniel.

The United Nations and the national parliament on Friday launched the South Sudan Parliamentary Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition.

The partnership aims to ensure ways to avail enough food and promote investments in food and nutrition security in the country.

The alliance was launched in Juba by the UN children’s agency – UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the national parliament.

“The parliamentarians are crucial partners in the fight to reduce poverty and malnutrition, given their legislative, budget allocation and policy oversight roles,” said Jesper Moller, UNICEF Acting Representative in South Sudan.

“Ensuring better food and nutrition policies and frameworks in legislation with sufficient budget to achieve improved nutrition outcomes would have very substantial socio-economic returns,” he added.

The initiative is launched as the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) shows that 7.76 million people in the country are faced with worse levels of food insecurity.

The IPC report also indicates 1.4 million children are malnourished.

Through the initiative, parliamentarians will “be empowered on the importance of food security and nutrition.”

The alliance will also advocate for a shift to include the advancement of food and nutrition security within legal frameworks, including the right to food.

For his part, FAO Representative in South Sudan Meshack Malo says the contribution of lawmakers in the alliance will be crucial in advocating for much-needed investment in agriculture, food security, and nutrition.

The Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly of South Sudan, Jemma Nunu Kumba said food security and good nutrition are part of South Sudan’s top priorities.