YADAM Foundation Catalyzes Parliamentary Action on Nutrition at High-Level National Advocacy Forum
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – April 6, 2026
In a decisive move to elevate nutrition as a national development priority, the YADAM Foundation, in strategic collaboration with the Ministry of Health, convened a High-Level Advocacy Meeting on Nutrition and Parliamentary Engagement at the Sheraton Addis. The forum brought together senior government officials, parliamentarians, development partners, and technical experts to drive alignment between legislative leadership and Ethiopia’s nutrition agenda.
The convening delivered a clear message: nutrition is no longer a sectoral issue—it is a national economic and human capital imperative.
Opening the session, H.E. Lemi Bedo, Deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples’ Representatives, set the tone with a firm call for accountability:
“Without adequate nutrition, our ambitions for productivity, prosperity, and national transformation cannot stand. Building a generation free from stunting must be embedded into our legislative performance framework.”
Echoing this urgency, Dr. Dereje Duguma, State Minister of Health, underscored the economic cost of inaction:
“Malnutrition is costing Ethiopia an estimated 16.5 percent of its GDP annually. This is not just a health issue—it is a macroeconomic crisis. Parliament must act decisively to institutionalize nutrition governance.”
At the center of the dialogue, H.E. Demeke Mekonnen, Founder and Board Chairman of YADAM Foundation, delivered a compelling call to reposition nutrition as a rights-based agenda:
“Nutrition is not charity. It is justice. If we fail to act within the first 1000 days, we are locking millions of children into a lifetime of lost potential.”
He outlined three high-impact, scalable priorities requiring immediate parliamentary backing:
- Endorsement of Double Fortified Salt (DFS) as a national standard
- Acceleration of Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS)
- Fast-tracking the establishment of a legally mandated Food and Nutrition Council
He further positioned Ethiopia as a potential continental leader in large-scale food fortification, urging lawmakers to translate political will into enforceable policy and financing.
The forum moved beyond rhetoric, securing tangible commitments from parliamentary leadership:
- Fast-tracking the Food and Nutrition Council Proclamation
- Integrating nutrition indicators into parliamentary oversight and budgeting systems
- Establishing an Ethiopian Parliamentarian Network for Food and Nutrition
- Strengthening accountability mechanisms down to regional and community levels
H.E. Werksemu Mamo, Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Health, reinforced the need for structural reform:
“Nutrition must stand as an independent national priority, not a subset of other sectors. This requires dedicated oversight, financing, and accountability.”
Development partners emphasized the need to break silos and unlock innovative financing:
- UNICEF called for harmonized national and regional interventions and proposed matched funding models
- GAIN highlighted the urgency of integrating fortified foods into social protection and school feeding systems
- The Gates Foundation pressed for clear timelines on policy endorsement and implementation
The meeting concluded with a unified stance: the era of fragmented nutrition efforts must end. The pathway forward demands:
- Strong governance backed by legislation
- Domestic resource mobilization and co-financing models
- Community-level accountability and implementation
- Private sector integration for scalable solutions
In her closing remarks, H.E. Lemi Bedo issued a decisive call:
“The advocacy stage has delivered results. Now, the responsibility shifts to implementation. Parliament will lead this agenda—decisively and collectively.”
