On 21 May 2025, 𝑫𝒓. 𝑨𝒛𝒖𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒂 𝑴𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒂-𝑫𝒂𝒚𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈, Assistant Secretary and Executive Director IV of the National Nutrition Council once again served as a panelist and first speaker during the 78th World Health Assembly side event entitled “𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑵𝒖𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝑺𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒔: 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒍 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒆” held at the Civil Society Networking Space, Geneva, Switzerland. The objectives of the event were to (1) emphasize the critical need for increased investments in the prevention of child wasting, alongside a strategic shift towards embedding prevention within people-centered health systems and (2) highlight the evidence-based health system interventions that effectively prevent child wasting while underscoring the enabling systemic conditions needed for successful implementation.

A/Sec Dayanghirang emphasized that in response to the Global Action Plan on Child Wasting, the Philippines is implementing a multisectoral, systems-based approach embedded in the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2023–2028 and aligned with the Universal Health Care (UHC) to prevent child wasting and other forms of malnutrition through integrated actions across the first 1,000 days of life. Essential nutrition actions are now being integrated into health services and Universal Health Care roadmaps with the Universal Health Care Act positioning nutrition as a core element of primary health care and a priority in the Health Sector 8-Point Agenda.

She also noted that the Global Action Plan on Child Wasting catalyzed national momentum in the Philippines, bringing together stakeholders and aligning actions across sectors to address wasting—a condition that has remained at medium public health significance for over 30 years. It catalyzed national momentum in the Philippines, bringing together stakeholders and aligning actions across sectors to address wasting—a condition that has remained at medium public health significance for over 30 years.