LOME, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) system in Togo has reached more than 2 million people, nearly a quarter of the country's population, through its development and humanitarian interventions during the 2024-2025 period, a UN official has said.
These interventions spanned key sectors including nutrition, health, education, social protection, and food systems, Coumba Dieng Sow, the UN resident coordinator in Togo, told the opening of a regional conference on nutrition and early childhood development in West and Central Africa.
The event on Monday was co-organized with the World Bank Group.
In northern Togo, particularly the Savanes region which faces security challenges and population displacement, "more than 500,000 people, including refugees and internally displaced persons, have seen their resilience strengthened," Sow noted.
The UN's support strategy involves a comprehensive set of measures, including cash transfers, support for agricultural producers, school feeding programs, and nutritional supplementation and fortification.
Sow emphasized that nutrition is a critical economic driver, describing it as "the most underestimated economic policy of our time" due to its profound impact on productivity and economic growth.
The UN's operations in the West African nation are carried out through various agencies, such as the World Food Program, UNICEF, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations Development Program and the World Health Organization.
The current 2023-2026 partnership framework between the UN and the Togolese government focuses on human capital development, social protection, and the resilience of vulnerable territories. ■
