Hunger and nutrition

Nepal faces international obligations under the Sustainable Development Goals to reduce stunting to 15 per cent, wasting to four per cent, and underweight rates to 10 per cent by 2030 – targets that appear increasingly challenging, particularly in remote and underserved regions like Sudurpaschim.

Late at night at the Khamarbari intersection, groups of nearly 40 displaced individuals –including many children – huddle around small fires made from burning scraps of wood and paper. The flickering flames offer fleeting warmth against the biting chill, but the bare pavement beneath them provides no cushion or protection. Children in thin, filthy sweaters shiver as they chat or try to sleep, their bodies pressed together for shared heat.

The holding centres often lack necessities like water and sanitation, and the people held there are lucky if they even receive two meals a day, as food stocks are often too low to supply enough meals. The need for blankets and winter kits is increasing.

The initiative’s cornerstone is the Training and Capacity Building Programme Calendar prepared by the National Fisheries Development Board in coordination with Indian Council of Agricultural Research fisheries institutes.

Many households will meet minimum food needs only by depleting essential livelihood assets – a sharp deterioration compared with the previous year.

A production-based model, per September 2025 talks, could align incentives, but unions fear diluted guarantees. The government eyes hybrid funding, yet delays breed unrest.

The report calls for the government and industry joining hands to strengthen social protection, enforce labour laws, and support climate adaptation.

The launch, done together with the Ministry of Health and UNICEF in Bhutan,  coincides with UNICEF’s new global child nutrition report, which finds that overweight and obesity are rising fast among children, including in Bhutan.