INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF NUTRITION
4th – 9th October 2009 Bangkok, Thailand 
Calling all young researchers! We invite you to participate in the 19th International Congress of Nutrition that will be held for the first time in Bangkok, Thailand from 4th - 9th October 2009. The 19th International Congress of Nutrition (ICN 2009) themed “Nutrition Security for All” will provide the highest quality scientific program featuring internationally recognized speakers and experts in the field. The Congress will address nutrition as an integrative science, linking with other disciplines such as biomedical and life sciences, food and agriculture and social and behavioural sciences to engage and advance evidence-guided policies and programs within comprehensive food and health delivery systems. The International Congress will provide a lifetime opportunity for nutritionists, dietitians and scientists from all continents to meet and interact, and experience a wide array of events, from state-of-the-art lectures and fascinating and informative exhibits to the best in cultural and social gatherings, held in the Thai capital’s magnificent congress facilities. We invite you to submit a synopsis of your research interest (excellent abstracts may be selected for the main symposia or oral presentations). Your presentation should primarily focus on:
1. Solutions to address under-nutrition in children and mothers 2. Innovative approaches to obesity prevention and control Selected researchers will receive sponsorship that will cover air travel (economy), accommodation, registration fee, and gala dinner. Deadline for submission: November 25 2008. For more details, contact: Irene Gomez, Director Corporate Media Services Pte Ltd 3 Pickering Street, #02-36 Nankin Row, China Square Central, Singapore 048660 Tel: (65) 6327 8825, Fax: (65) 6223 7314 Email:
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MICRONUTRIENT SUPPLEMENTATION
RATED TOP PRIORITY AT
2008 COPENHAGEN CONSENSUS This spring, a panel of the world’s leading economists determined that eliminating micronutrient deficiency in children offers a better rate of return than combating global warming, disease or terrorism. The expert panel, which included five Nobel laureates, met at the 2008 Copenhagen Consensus to evaluate 30 proposed solutions to 10 of most serious challenges facing the world today. The “winning” solution addressed the lack of vitamin A and zinc in nearly 140 million children. The solution? Provide vitamin A to 80 percent of children age two and below in sub-Sahara Africa and South Asia, where current vitamin A coverage is 73 percent and 71 percent respectively, according to UNICEF. For zinc, provide supplements to infants age 6-12 months to reach 80 percent of children in need in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where current zinc coverage is essentially zero. The estimated cost for this solution was $60 million a year, with a return of more than $1 billion annually. More simply, for every dollar spent, the world would realize more than $17 in benefits from better health, greater earnings potential and fewer deaths. [1] Douglass North, a Copenhagen Consensus panel member and Nobel laureate told Reuters, “It [micronutrient supplementation] has immediate and important consequences for improving the well-being of poor people around the world, that's why it should be our number one priority." [2] First held in 2004, the Copenhagen Consensus was established by Bjorn Lomborg to help policy makers, NGOs and philanthropists around the world determine how to best invest capital to address pressing global concerns. This year, panelists considered the following issues: malnutrition and hunger; air pollution; conflicts; diseases; education; global warming; sanitation and water; subsidies and trade barriers; terrorism; and women and development. Reviewing each issue, the panel answered the following question: “If you had an extra U.S. $75 billion to do good in the world, where would you spend it over the next four years?” The panelists selected micronutrient supplementation as the best way to improve the world based on a challenge paper and proposed solutions authored by economist Sue Horton of Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, Harold Alderman of The World Bank and Juan Rivera of The National Institute of Public Health, Mexico. To explain the consequences of micronutrient deficiency to the economists, the Horton paper provided data on the causal relationship between micronutrient deficiency, undernutrition and increased mortality, morbidity and reduced economic output. The paper outlined how on a global scale, undernutrition threatens the world’s ability to meet the first Millennium Development Goal, which focuses on the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. An unmet first goal will impede progress on subsequent goals. Finally, Horton explained that while the cost of undernutrition is high, there are inexpensive ways to deliver micronutrients to populations in need. Other proposed solutions outlined in the Horton challenge paper included: - Biofortification or fortifying staple crops with micronutrients. These agricultural improvements would cost approximately $60 million annual with benefits of $1 billion – a benefit-cost ratio of more than 16:1.
- De-worming of Preschoolers – For $26.5 million program would yield $159 million annually – a benefit-cost ratio of 6:1. The benefits include reduced anemia, improved growth, cognitive development and future income potential.
- Community-based Nutrition Promotion. While the previous solutions all focused on specific micronutrient deficiencies, a community-based program would attempt to promote improved overall nutrition. Techniques might include children’s health days where immunizations, vitamin A supplementation and de-worming activities take place; programs focused on growth promotion and nutrition education. The cost of community-based nutrition programs was estimated at $789 million annually for a benefit of approximately $10 billion; a benefit-cost ratio of 12.5:1.
Panel Composition & How the Ranking Was Done
The Copenhagen Consensus Panel members included: - Jagdish Bhagwati, Columbia University
- François Bourguignon, Paris School of Economics and former World Bank chief economist
- Finn E. Kydland, University of California, Santa Barbara (Nobel laureate)
- Robert Mundell, Columbia University (Nobel laureate)
- Douglass C. North, Washington University, St. Louis (Nobel laureate)
- Thomas Schelling, University of Maryland (Nobel laureate)
- Vernon L. Smith, Chapman University, (Nobel laureate)
- Nancy Stokey, University of Chicago
For each challenge, the panel addressed the following question: “If you had an extra $75 billion to do good in the world, where would you spend it?” More than 50 experts spent two years developing solutions to the top 10 global issues. The solutions were presented in the form of 10 challenge papers, each containing one or more solutions. The panel reviewed and discussed each paper with the principal author and with two other experts who provided written critical appraisals. The panel then met in a closed session to individually rank proposals in order of importance, based on benefits and costs. The final ranking was determined by taking the median of the individual rankings.
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