VIENTIANE, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) — The World Food Program (WFP) will work closely with the government of Laos to create favorable conditions for Laos on nutrition in promoting the country’s efforts to graduate from “least developed country” status by 2026.

The WFP will work closely with the Lao government on promoting access to nutritious food for school-aged children, especially in remote and ethnically diverse areas, Vientiane Mai newspaper on Thursday quoted Country Director and Representative and WFP to Laos Marc Andre Prost as saying at a press conference in Lao capital Vientiane on Tuesday.

Laos has seen a decrease in poverty, but despite these improvements, nutrition and food insecurity remain a persistent problem, especially among low-income families in rural areas.

The WFP aims to improve the nutritional status of vulnerable people throughout their life cycle, as well as their resilience to seasonal and long-term shocks and stresses.

The WFP has supported the production of local nutritious crops, providing agriculture-skills training, building community assets such as fishponds and improving road infrastructure, working with the private sector and advising on safe policies for the sale of food, enhancing communities’ ownership of initiatives such as school feeding, as well as promoting positive changes in people’s behavior by providing education to improve infant and young child feeding practices and diversifying diets, according to the report.

Nutrition remains a top priority for Laos because of its wide-reaching influence on the well-being, growth and development of children and the nation.

The Lao government has reiterated its commitment to building a sustainable food system to support the country’s development goals while also protecting the environment and improving livelihoods.

“Laos recognized the importance of sustainable food systems in achieving the national development goals as articulated in the Ninth National Socio-economic Development Plan, as well as in the Sustainable Development Goals and the Least Developed Country graduation smooth transition strategy,” Lao Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Thongphath Vongmany said at a meeting on the outcomes of the United Nations Food Systems Summit+2 Stocktaking Moment and Consultation on the National Plan of Action on Food Systems Transformation in Laos, held in October. ■