Video: “Leaky Guts” A short film from Aga Khan University Paediatrics and Child Health Video Series

Time: 9:30 AM

SESSION 6:

Population and Resources

Time: 9:45 AM– 10:55 AM

A Nation Cannot Feed, Educate, or Employ What It Cannot Count On Sustaining

• Moderator: Dr. Saima Hamid, Programme and Research Lead, Population Council
• Panelist: Dr. Ali Mir, Country Director, Population Council
• Panelist: Adnan Pasha Siddiqui, Advisor to the Minister of Finance, Government of Pakistan
• Panelist: Sara Shahzad, Senior Health Specialist, World Bank
• Panelist: Talib Lashari, Public Health Professional, Health Department, Government of Sindh
• Panelist: Dr. Fazal Majeed – Director Nutrition, Directorate General Health Services for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Closing: Dr. Shabana Haider, Member, Population Planning Commission

SESSION 7:

The Provincial Perspective — From Policy to Plate: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Time: 11:00 AM – 11:05 AM

• Video presentation: Sohail Khan Afridi, Chief Minister, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

TEA BREAK

SESSION 8:

The Multi-Sectoral Approach to Nutrition

Time: 11:30 AM – 01:25 PM

Panel Discussion: Multi-Sectoral Action for Nutrition: From Policy to Implementation

Time: 11:30 AM – 12:20 PM

• Moderator: Dr. Hana Mahmood, Director, International Research Force
• Panelist: Dr. Farhana Memon, Program Director, Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health (RMNCH)
• Panelist: Tehmina Gulzar, Deputy Director Nutrition, Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP)
• Panelist: Shahid Lone, Chairman, Allah Walay Foundation
• Panelist: Farrah Naz, Country Director, GAIN
• Panelist: Khadija Khan, CEO, Pakistan Alliance on Early Childhood Development

Panel Discussion: The Invisible Driver: Dirty Water and Poor Sanitation Underpinning Child Stunting in Pakistan

Time: 12:25 PM – 01:25 PM

Opening Address: Mian Muhammad Junaid, Country Director, WaterAid

Online Presentation: Oliver Cumming, Environmental Health Lead, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

• Moderator & Speaker: Sanaa Causer, Director External Relations, Hisaar Foundation
• Panelist: Basharat Saeed, Senior Water Specialist, World Bank
• Panelist: Dr Saima Khan, WASH policy specialist, MoCC & EC
• Panelist: Mian Muhammad Junaid, Country Director, WaterAid
• Panelist: Oliver Cumming, Environmental Health Lead, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

LUNCH BREAK

SESSION 9:

The Provincial Perspective — From Policy to Plate: Punjab

Time: 3:00 PM – 3:20 PM

• Speaker: Dr. Usman Ali Khan, Program Director, Punjab Family Planning Program
• Speaker: Aurangzaib Haider Khan, Special Secretary, Government of Punjab

SESSION 10:

Making Nutrition Matter

Keynote Address: Attaullah Tarar, Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting

Time: 3:25 PM – 4:05 PM

Communicating for Behaviour Change

• Moderator & Speaker: Zarrar Khuhro, Journalist, DAWN
• Panelist: Satish Anand, Chairman, EverReady Pictures
• Panelist: Sarwat Gilani, Ambassador, Special Olympics Pakistan & Indus Hospital and Health Network
• Panelist: Dr. Bushra Hameed ur Rehman, Professor, Beaconhouse National University

SESSION 11:

Closing: Stronger Together — The Pakistan Nutrition Pact

Time: 4:10 PM – 5:00 PM

• Speaker: Dr. Irshad Danish, Chairperson, Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement
• Speaker: Anita Hirsch, Country Director Pakistan, World Food Programme
• Speaker: Dr. Dapeng Luo, Representative Pakistan, WHO
• Thankyou Remarks: Sabeen Ghani, General Manager- Special Projects, DawnMedia

TEA BREAK

Noor Aftab, Director Corporate Affairs Pakistan, Middle East, North and West Africa, Tetra Pak

Noor Aftab leads corporate affairs for Tetra Pak across a region stretching from Pakistan through the Middle East and much of Africa, working on regulation, public policy, and the sustainability commitments that increasingly shape how food companies operate. His work sits at the point where industrial capability meets public health outcomes, in a sector where the private sector controls most of the pathway between a farm and a family’s table.

Sohail Khan Afridi, Chief Minister, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

As Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Sohail Khan Afridi leads the executive leadership of a province facing some of Pakistan’s most severe stunting and food-insecurity challenges. Steering final authority over provincial budget allocations, inter-departmental coordination, and regional policy delivery, he plays a pivotal role in translating nutrition strategies into sustainable, district-level action.

Dr. Nazeer Ahmed, Chief Nutrition, Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives

Dr. Nazeer Ahmed serves as Chief of the Nutrition section at the federal planning ministry, the body responsible for national development frameworks and public-sector investment programming. His role involves appraising nutrition-related PSDP schemes, coordinating with provinces and embedding nutrition targets within national planning instruments. The ministry hosts the coordination architecture through which Pakistan’s multi-sectoral nutrition strategy is meant to operate. Dr. Nazeer  works at the intersection of technical evidence and sits precisely where nutrition proposals either become funded government schemes or remain recommendations.

Satish Anand, Chairman, EverReady Pictures

Satish Anand is one of Pakistan’s longest-serving film distributors and producers. His career spans distribution, production and the commercial infrastructure that determines what Pakistani audiences see on screen. He brings an understanding of narrative, reach and audience economics that public-health communicators frequently lack. Entertainment channels remain among the most effective vehicles for shifting norms around feeding practices, maternal health and family nutrition.

Nosheen Ashraf, Medical Officer, National Institutes of Health

Nosheen Ashraf is an epidemiologist with a background as a medical doctor. She is working as a medical officer in the National Institutes of Health, Islamabad, Pakistan. Her academic qualification includes MBBS, MS in Field Epidemiology. She is the core member of the FETP Pakistan faculty team and performing her duties. She has experience regarding child health, public health and in the field of epidemiology. She has also contributed in outbreak investigations, maternal and child health, nutrition incident command management and other health related events.

Dr. Naeem Awan, Director General Health, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

 Dr. Naeem Awan directs health services across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, overseeing the provincial network of hospitals, basic health units and community health programmes. His office is responsible for disease control, maternal and child health delivery, and the frontline workforce that identifies and treats acute malnutrition. He manages the operational layer where national nutrition guidelines meet staffing shortages, supply chains and geography.

Dr. Widyaretna Buenastuti, Director & Senior Consultant, Inke Maris & Associates Indonesia

 Ms. Widya is a multi-sector leader with expertise in public health, legal affairs, and policy advocacy. She led Pfizer Indonesia as Director for over 15 years, and now serves as Director of Inke Maris & Associates, the country’s leading strategic communications consulting firm, where she leads on public health. Widya brings valuable experience, in-depth knowledge and a strong network in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry in the region, and has played a key role in expanding access to routine immunization for children in Indonesia by facilitating collaboration between the Indonesian government and international organizations through her work at Inke Maris.

Sanaa Causer, Director External Relations, Hisaar Foundation

Sanaa Causer directs external relations for the Hisaar Foundation, a Pakistani organisation working on water, food and livelihood security. The foundation convenes the Pakistan Water Partnership and has spent years pressing for water to be treated as a development rather than an engineering question. Her role involves building coalitions across government, civil society and the private sector on issues that cut across sectoral boundaries. Water quality and sanitation are among the strongest determinants of child stunting, operating independently of food intake.

Thomas Conan, Deputy Country Director, World Food Programme Pakistan

Thomas Conan serves as deputy head of WFP’s Pakistan country operation, one of the agency’s larger and more complex programmes. His responsibilities span emergency response, resilience programming and the nutrition interventions WFP delivers with federal and provincial partners. WFP in Pakistan works extensively on treatment of moderate acute malnutrition, food fortification and social-protection linkages.

Oliver Cumming, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

 Oliver Cumming is a researcher who specialisises in water, sanitation and hygiene and their relationship to child health outcomes. He has been involved in major trials and evidence reviews examining whether and how WASH interventions affect stunting and enteric infection. His work has shaped a more rigorous, and often more sobering, understanding of what sanitation programmes can and cannot achieve for growth outcomes. That evidence base is directly relevant to countries deciding how to allocate limited funds between food-based and environmental interventions.

Dr. Irshad Danish, Team Lead, Policy Research Unit, BISP & Co-Chair, Global Nutrition Report Stakeholder Group

Dr. Danish is a health and nutrition policy, research, and thought leader with over 22 years of experience advancing social protection, public health nutrition, food systems, governance, and evidence-informed policy across Pakistan and globally. He currently steers the Policy Research Unit at the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Pakistan’s flagship social protection program. Previously, he was Global Director of Advocacy & Strategic Impact at the International Research Force (IRF) and has served as Chair of the SUN Civil Society Network Steering Committee and Co-Chair of the Global Nutrition Report Stakeholder Group, contributing to global policy dialogue and accountability.

Dr. Srikanth Eadara, Asia Regional Representative, Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement

 Dr. Srikanth Eadara represents the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement across Asia, supporting national governments that have committed to the SUN framework. His role involves comparing country experience, brokering technical support and holding governments to their stated nutrition commitments.

Dr. Shujaat Farooq, Dean of Research, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE)

Dr. Shujaat Farooq leads research at PIDE, Pakistan’s principal public policy research and postgraduate economics institution. His own work has focused on poverty measurement, labour markets, social protection and programme evaluation. He has published extensively on the effectiveness of Pakistan’s cash-transfer and poverty-reduction instruments..

Maheen Saleem Farooqi, Manager, Tabadlab

Maheen Saleem Farooqi works at Tabadlab, an Islamabad-based think tank focused on public policy, political economy and Pakistan’s structural development challenges. The organisation has produced influential analysis on climate finance, fiscal constraint and human capital. Her work involves research and convening around problems that cut across public finance and social outcomes. Mobilising private capital for nutrition requires exactly this kind of financing-instrument analysis rather than conventional advocacy.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO

Dr. Tedros has served as WHO Director-General since 2017. As health minister he oversaw a substantial expansion of Ethiopia’s primary healthcare and community health worker system. He holds a PhD in community health and a master’s in infectious disease immunology, with a research background in malaria epidemiology. At WHO he has placed universal health coverage and health emergencies at the center of the organisation’s agenda.

Sarwat Gilani, Ambassador, Special Olympics Pakistan & Indus Hospital and Health Network

Sarwat Gilani, one of Pakistan’s most recognised actors, serves as an ambassador for Special Olympics Pakistan and for the Indus Hospital and Health Network, a major provider of free tertiary and community healthcare. She has been an outspoken public voice on women’s health, disability inclusion and social issues that carry stigma. Her advocacy has been sustained and substantive rather than confined to campaign appearances, making her a trusted public figure capable of engaging households on issues such as feeding and maternal health in ways that extend beyond institutional messaging.

Tehmina Gulzar, Deputy Director Nutrition, Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP)

Tehmina Gulzar oversees nutrition programming at Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) reaching millions of low-income households. Her work covers the Benazir Nashonuma programme, which provides conditional support and specialised nutritious food to pregnant women, mothers and young children. The programme links cash transfers to antenatal care, growth monitoring and nutrition awareness sessions, representing Pakistan’s most significant effort to make social protection explicitly nutrition-sensitive. Her work provides valuable insight into how large-scale social protection programmes can be designed to address nutrition alongside broader household needs.

Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)

Lawrence Haddad is a development economist who has led GAIN since 2016 and was awarded the World Food Prize in 2018 for his work on reducing child stunting. He previously directed the Institute of Development Studies and led research at IFPRI, and co-chaired the Global Nutrition Report. His research established much of the modern evidence linking agriculture, income growth and child nutritional outcomes. He has been central to making the economic case that nutrition investment yields measurable returns in human capital.

Dr. Shabana Haider, Member, Population Planning Commission

Dr. Shabana Haider serves on the Population Planning Commission, the body established to provide national direction on Pakistan’s demographic trajectory. Her role involves policy guidance on family planning, reproductive health services and population–resource balance. Pakistan’s population growth rate remains among the highest in the region, and birth spacing is one of the best-established determinants of maternal and child nutritional status. Her work highlights the important links between population dynamics, reproductive health and nutrition, particularly in the context of improving maternal and child well-being.

Dr. Bushra Hameed ur Rehman, Professor, Beaconhouse National University

Dr. Bushra Hameedur Rahman is Professor and Dean at the School of Media and Mass Communication, Beaconhouse National University, and former Chairperson of the Department of Journalism Studies at the University of the Punjab. She is a media and communication scholar whose research focuses on media, gender and Muslim feminism, ethics, public opinion, peace journalism, media literacy, and communication for social change.Dr. Rahman serves on the editorial and advisory boards of several national and international research journals and has published extensively in scholarly journals and international edited volumes, including publications with Routledge and Springer. Her current interests include media and public understanding of social issues, ethical communication, digital technologies, and the potential of communication and storytelling to contribute to social change.

Dr. Saima Hamid, Programme and Research Lead, Population Council

Dr. Saima Hamid leads programme and research work at the Population Council in Pakistan, an international research organisation focused on reproductive health and population dynamics. She has a background in public health academia and health systems research, including work on maternal health and health workforce issues. Her role involves generating and translating evidence for government and donor decision-making. The Population Council’s work in Pakistan has informed national policy on family planning and maternal health service delivery. Her expertise brings an evidence-based perspective to understanding the links between population dynamics, reproductive health and nutrition.

Dr. Syed Abdul Hamid, Professor, Institute of Health Economics, University of Dhaka

Dr. Syed Abdul Hamid is a Professor at the Institute of Health Economics. He served the institute as the Director during 2016-2019. He obtained his PhD in Economics from the University of Sheffield (UK) and M.Sc. in Health Economics from the University of York (UK). Previously, he obtained his BSS (Hons.) and MSS in Economics from the University of Dhaka. Dr. Hamid has 23 years-experience of teaching and research in Health Economics and published widely in the peer reviewed international journals.

Hasan Khurrum Hanif, Partner Globesight and Agri Consultant

Hasan Khurrum Hanif works as a farmer and agricultural consultant, combining direct production experience with advisory work in Pakistan’s agriculture sector. His perspective covers crop selection, input costs, water availability and the market conditions that determine what smallholders can profitably grow. Pakistan’s agricultural output is heavily weighted toward staple cereals, with limited production of pulses, vegetables and other diet-diversifying crops. Changing what is on the plate requires changing what is economically rational to plant. His experience offers a practical perspective on the relationship between agricultural economics, food production and dietary diversity, particularly the market and production factors that shape what food is available and affordable to households.

Anita Hirsch, Country Director Pakistan, World Food Programme

Ms. Anita Hirsch, a French and Norwegian national, joined the World Food Programme (WFP) Pakistan as Representative and Country Director in June 2026. She brings over 20 years of experience in the humanitarian and development sector across diverse United Nations organizations, specializing in governance, oversight and programme improvement for most of her career. Most recently, Ms. Hirsch served as WFP’s Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, providing cross‑functional support and oversight to 17 Country Offices, from Afghanistan to the Pacific, in both emergency and development contexts. Previously, she held several oversight roles within WFP, including Director of Internal Audit and Inspector General ad interim, as well as positions with UNDP and the United Nations Oversight Services.

Nora Hobbs, Asia Pacific Regional Nutrition Advisor, World Food Programme

Nora Hobbs advises WFP on nutrition across the Asia-Pacific region, covering countries with widely varying burdens and delivery systems. Her role involves technical guidance on programme design, food fortification, and the nutrition components of emergency and resilience operations. Regional advisory positions require translating global technical standards into what is workable in specific country contexts. The Asia-Pacific region includes both examples of rapid stunting reduction and settings where high burdens persist, providing a broad evidence base for comparison. Her expertise offers valuable insight into which nutrition programme designs have delivered results across diverse country contexts and how successful approaches can be adapted to local needs.

Dr. Asim Ijaz, Director General, Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP)

Dr. Asim Ijaz holds a director general position at Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). His responsibilities involve programme administration across a beneficiary base numbering in the millions of households. BISP’s operational systems, including targeting, payment delivery and conditionality verification, provide the infrastructure through which nutrition-sensitive social protection is implemented. The programme’s registry is among the most comprehensive poverty databases in the country. His role provides practical insight into the operational systems, scale and delivery mechanisms required to integrate nutrition into large-scale social protection programmes.

Pernille Ironside, UN Resident Coordinator Pakistan (a.i.)

Pernille Ironside serves as acting UN Resident Coordinator in Pakistan, leading the coordination of UN agencies operating in the country. Her career has involved leading UN operations in conflict and emergency contexts across several regions. The Resident Coordinator’s role is to align agency mandates behind a single country framework agreed with government. Her position offers valuable insight into the inter-agency coordination and cross-sectoral collaboration required to address complex nutrition challenges effectively.

Dr. Aminah Jahangir, Global Lead- Health & Nutrition, Aga Khan Foundation

Dr. Aminah Jahangir leads health and nutrition work for the Aga Khan Foundation across Central Asia, part of the wider Aga Khan Development Network. The Foundation runs long-term community health, early childhood development and food security programmes in mountainous and remote regions. Her portfolio covers contexts with harsh geography, seasonal food access constraints and limited public health infrastructure. These conditions offer useful parallels with Pakistan’s northern and high-altitude districts. Her experience provides practical insight into community-based programme models that can be adapted to remote and geographically challenging settings.

Dr. Rafat Jan, Associate Dean of the Global Outreach and Policy Unit, Aga Khan University

Dr. Rafat Jan is a senior academic at Aga Khan University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, with a career in maternal health, midwifery education and reproductive health research. She has been influential in professionalising midwifery in Pakistan and in research on maternal and newborn outcomes. Her current role connects the university’s academic work to policy engagement and international partnerships. Skilled midwifery is one of the strongest levers available for improving maternal nutrition and birth outcomes. Her expertise highlights the critical role of a well-trained maternal and newborn health workforce in improving outcomes during the first 1,000 days.

Dr. Fyezah Jehan, Chairperson, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University

Dr. Fyezah Jehan chairs paediatrics and child health at Aga Khan University, one of South Asia’s leading academic medical institutions. Her research covers neonatal health, infectious disease, birth outcomes and the biological pathways linking early nutrition to long-term development. She has led and contributed to major international research collaborations on child health in low-resource settings. Her department combines clinical service, training and a substantial research output on Pakistani child health. Her work brings locally generated clinical and biological evidence to understanding stunting, early childhood development and long-term health outcomes.

Mian Muhammad Junaid, Country Director, WaterAid

Mian Muhammad Junaid heads WaterAid’s Pakistan programme, directing work on water access, sanitation and hygiene across multiple provinces. The organisation works on both service delivery and advocacy for improved public investment in WASH systems. His role involves engagement with provincial governments on sanitation policy and financing. Contaminated water and open defecation drive enteric infection and environmental conditions that can undermine growth regardless of food intake. His experience brings a critical WASH perspective to the interconnected factors influencing child nutrition and stunting outcomes in Pakistan.

Mustafa Kamal, Federal Minister of Health, Government of Pakistan

Mustafa Kamal serves as Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, having previously served as Mayor of Karachi and as a member of the Senate. As federal health minister, he oversees national health policy, international health commitments and coordination with the provinces post-devolution. The ministry holds the federal nutrition mandate and represents Pakistan in global nutrition forums. His role places him at the center of national health and nutrition policy, including the coordination required to sustain nutrition as a national priority across federal and provincial systems.

Dr. Ayesha Babar Kawish, Public Health Educationalist & Consultant

Dr. Ayesha Babar Kawish is a medical doctor, public health specialist and academic whose work has focused particularly on women and children. Her career has combined grassroots community health work with public health education, including maternal, neonatal and child health initiatives and health advocacy across communities in Pakistan.

Senator Rubina Khalid, Chairperson, Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP)

Senator Rubina Khalid chairs Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Pakistan’s largest social protection institution, and has served in the Senate with a focus on social welfare and women’s issues. Under BISP, the Benazir Nashonuma programme has expanded to deliver nutrition support to pregnant women and young children nationwide. She holds political and administrative authority over the largest single instrument for reaching poor households in Pakistan. Her position provides a direct link between social protection policy, nutrition programming and the delivery of support to vulnerable households at scale.

Attiyah Inaam Khan, Head of Corporate Communications & Sustainability, EBM

Attiyah Inaam Khan is the head of Corporate Communications & Sustainability at EBM, leading the company’s sustainability strategy across nine SDGs. Drives EBM’s nutrition agenda under the “Nourish for Life” pillar, with a focus on SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being). Work spans public-private partnerships, food fortification, R&D, sustainable packaging, and food systems transformation alongside on-the-ground maternal and child nutrition programmes delivered in partnership with multilaterals, international agencies, and local NGOs.

Khadija Khan, CEO, Pakistan Alliance on Early Childhood Development

Khadija Khan leads the Pakistan Alliance for Early Childhood Development, a network organisation focused on the earliest years of child development. The alliance works across nutrition, early learning, responsive caregiving and child protection as an integrated agenda. Her role involves coordinating civil society, government and academic actors around early childhood outcomes. Nurturing care frameworks recognise that nutrition alone does not produce developmental gains without stimulation and responsive caregiving. Her work highlights the importance of approaching stunting and early childhood development as interconnected issues rather than focusing on growth alone.

Dr Saima Khan, WASH policy specialist, MoCC & EC

Dr. Saima Khan serves as a deputy director at the federal climate change ministry, the body responsible for Pakistan’s environmental policy and international climate commitments. Her work sits within an institution managing adaptation planning, environmental regulation and disaster-related coordination. Pakistan ranks among the countries most exposed to climate risk, with repeated flooding affecting agricultural output and water systems. Climate shocks can translate into food insecurity and nutritional deterioration within a single season. Her position provides insight into the links between climate adaptation, food security, water systems and nutrition.

Dr. Urooj Yasir Khan, Associate Gynaecologist, Capital Hospital

Dr. Urooj Yasir Khan is passionate about women’s health, hormone health, fertility, and healthy pregnancy outcomes, with a focus on maternal and child health. She actively contributes to research and publications and regularly speaks at professional forums, seminars, and social initiatives addressing women’s health.

Dr. Usman Ali Khan, Project Director, Punjab Family Planning Programme

Dr. Usman Ali Khan directs Punjab’s family planning programme, operating in Pakistan’s most populous province with over half the national population. His responsibilities cover contraceptive service delivery, outreach through lady health workers and coordination with the provincial health department. Birth spacing has a direct and well-documented effect on maternal nutritional recovery and infant birth weight. Punjab’s programme scale means improvements in coverage can translate into significant population-level effects. His work demonstrates the connection between family planning, birth spacing and maternal and child health outcomes.

Zarrar Khuhro, Journalist, DAWN

Zarrar Khuhro is a journalist, columnist and broadcaster with DAWN, Pakistan’s most established English-language news organisation. His work spans political analysis, current affairs commentary and television presenting, with a substantial following across platforms. He is known for direct, sceptical questioning rather than deferential interviewing. His approach can bring critical scrutiny to public messaging and the assumptions behind behaviour change campaigns. His experience in journalism and broadcasting provides a strong platform for examining how complex health and nutrition issues are communicated to the public.

Talib Lashari, Technical Advisor, Health Department, Government of Sindh

Talib Lashari advises Sindh’s health department and has worked extensively on population, reproductive health and nutrition policy in Pakistan. He has been involved in provincial policy development and in national task force work on population issues. His role bridges technical evidence and the provincial administrative processes that convert it into implementable policy. Sindh carries a heavy burden of both stunting and wasting, particularly in its northern and rural districts. His experience provides practical insight into translating population and nutrition evidence into provincial policy and implementation.

Shahid Lone, Chairman, Allah Walay Foundation

Shahid Lone chairs the Allah Walay Foundation, a Pakistani philanthropic organisation engaged in community welfare and social service delivery. Domestic philanthropy in Pakistan operates at considerable scale, much of it through faith-linked and community-based giving. His work represents a funding and delivery channel that operates independently of donor cycles and government budgets. Local foundations can reach communities that formal programmes struggle to access. His role offers a perspective on how domestic philanthropy and community-based organisations can contribute to addressing Pakistan’s nutrition financing and delivery gaps.

Dr. Dapeng Luo, Representative Pakistan, WHO

Dr. Dapeng Luo heads the World Health Organization’s country office in Pakistan, directing WHO’s technical support to federal and provincial health authorities. His office covers disease surveillance, emergency health response, immunisation support and maternal and child health guidance. WHO country representatives provide the technical and normative framework against which national health programmes are developed. Pakistan’s polio, emergency response and health system strengthening work all involve coordination with this office. His role provides insight into the technical standards, health-system coordination and international support underpinning nutrition and child health programming

Dr. Hana Mahmood, Director, International Research Force

Dr. Hana Mahmood directs the International Research Force, working on health and development research relevant to Pakistani policy. Her role involves evidence generation, research management and engagement with government and development partners. Her working knowledge spans both the clinical and institutional dimensions of nutrition. Her experience connects maternal health evidence with the broader systems and cross-sectoral coordination required to translate research into policy and implementation.

Dr. Ammar Malik, Senior Program Officer, Development Policy and Finance, Gates Foundation

Dr. Ammar Malik works on development policy and finance at the Gates Foundation, one of the largest private funders of global health and nutrition. His background includes research on urban development, governance and public finance, with prior work at AidData and the Urban Institute. His current portfolio involves how development financing is structured and how domestic resource mobilisation can be strengthened. The Gates Foundation is a major funder of nutrition research, delivery and advocacy globally. His expertise brings a financing and policy perspective to questions of how nutrition programmes are funded, prioritised and scaled.

Ifrah Maskan, Senior Analyst, Globesight

Ifrah Maskan is a policy analyst working at the intersection of research, strategy, and implementation. Her work focuses on shaping responses to complex socioeconomic challenges, drawing on data and insights from the field. She has experience across diplomacy, governance, and human development, supporting initiatives across Asia and Africa. She holds a Master’s in Economic and Political Development from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), where she specialized in international conflict resolution through a human development lens.

Mansoor Ali Masood, Senior Project Officer, Asian Development Bank

Mansoor Ali Masood works as a senior project officer at the Asian Development Bank, a major multilateral lender to Pakistan’s public sector. His role involves project design, appraisal and supervision within ADB’s Pakistan portfolio. ADB finances infrastructure, health systems, water and social sector programmes across the country. Multilateral lending can provide the financing needed to translate nutrition priorities into large-scale investments in health, water and social infrastructure.

Dr. Farhana Memon, Program Director, Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health (RMNCH)

Dr. Farhana Memon directs RMNCH programming, the integrated framework covering care from pre-pregnancy through early childhood. Her portfolio includes antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, newborn care and child health services. RMNCH is the delivery platform through which many maternal and infant nutrition interventions reach women and children. Her role requires coordination across facility-based services, community outreach and the lady health worker network. Her experience demonstrates how nutrition interventions can be integrated into the wider continuum of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health services.

Dr. Ali Mir, Country Director, Population Council

Dr. Ali Mir leads the Population Council’s Pakistan office, directing research on reproductive health, family planning and population dynamics. He has a long research record on contraceptive access, unmet need and the barriers women face in reaching services. The Population Council’s Pakistan studies have shaped national and provincial family planning policy for years. His work quantifies the relationship between fertility, birth spacing and maternal and child health outcomes. His expertise brings an evidence-based perspective to the population dimensions of maternal and child nutrition.

Farrah Naz, Country Director, GAIN

Farrah Naz heads the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition’s Pakistan programme, working on food fortification, food systems and workforce nutrition. GAIN operates through partnerships with the private sector, government and civil society to improve diet quality at scale. Her portfolio includes large-scale fortification of staples such as wheat flour and edible oil. Fortification remains among the most cost-effective population-level nutrition interventions available. Her role provides direct experience of connecting food industry capability, government policy and public health objectives to improve nutrition at scale.

Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, Minister for Health and Population Welfare, Government of Sindh

Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho is a medical doctor and Sindh’s health minister. Her ministry combines health and population welfare, giving her authority over both service delivery and family planning programming. Sindh under her tenure has expanded programmes on maternal health, immunisation and nutrition treatment, often in partnership with international agencies. Her clinical background gives her direct understanding of the conditions her department is responsible for addressing. Her combined health and population portfolio provides an integrated perspective on the factors influencing maternal and child health and nutrition in Sindh.

Abigail Perry, Lead Nutrition Specialist, World Bank

Abigail Perry is a lead nutrition specialist at the World Bank, with a career spanning nutrition programming, food security and development finance. She has previously held senior nutrition roles in bilateral development agencies and international organisations. Her work covers investment case development, programme design and the financing instruments the Bank uses for human capital lending. World Bank human capital analysis has been central to establishing stunting as an economic as well as a health and development issue. Her expertise connects nutrition programming with the investment and financing decisions that determine how governments prioritise and scale interventions.

Dr. Ravi Rannan-Eliya, Executive Director, Institute of Health Policy, Sri Lanka

Dr. Ravi is a Fellow and Executive Director of the Institute for Health Policy. He is a physician and economist with degrees in Political Science and Medicine from the University of Cambridge and doctoral training in Health Economics from Harvard University. In 1996, he established and developed the leading health economics research group in Sri Lanka, the Institute for Health Policy. He has undertaken research and consulted in more than 30 countries, working with the World Bank, WHO, ADB, and other agencies and governments. His current research focuses on issues of health systems financing, aging, equity, non-communicable disease and child under-nutrition.

Basharat Saeed, Senior Water Specialist, World Bank

Basharat Saeed works as a senior water specialist at the World Bank, focusing on water resources, sanitation and service delivery in Pakistan. His work covers water security, utility performance and the financing of water and sanitation infrastructure. Pakistan faces both severe water scarcity and widespread contamination of available supplies. The Bank finances major water and sanitation investments across Pakistani provinces and cities. His expertise highlights the relationship between water quality, sanitation infrastructure and the environmental conditions that influence child nutrition and growth.

Nadia Saqib, Secretary Health & Population, Government of Punjab

Nadia Saqib serves as Punjab’s Secretary of Health and Population, the senior civil service position running the province’s health administration. Her office manages budget execution, procurement, human resources and the operational systems behind Punjab’s health services. Departmental secretaries provide institutional continuity across changes in political leadership. Combining health and population under one secretariat allows integrated planning across services that influence nutrition outcomes. Her position provides direct insight into the administrative systems, financing and implementation processes through which health and population policies are delivered across Punjab.

Muhammad Sarfaraz, Executive Director Technical Operation, Innovita Nutrition

Muhammad Sarfaraz leads technical operations at Innovita Nutrition, a Pakistani company producing nutritional and specialised food products. His role covers manufacturing, quality systems and the technical capability required for specialised nutritious food production. Domestic manufacture of ready-to-use supplementary and therapeutic foods can reduce both cost and import dependence in treatment programmes.His experience provides a private-sector perspective on the manufacturing and technical requirements for scaling specialised nutrition products in Pakistan.

Sara Shahzad, Senior Health Specialist, World Bank

Sara Shahzad works as a senior health specialist at the World Bank, engaged in health systems and human capital work in Pakistan. Her role involves project preparation, technical analysis and supervision of Bank-financed health operations. World Bank health lending in Pakistan supports primary healthcare, maternal and child health and health system reform. Human capital measurement has become an important framework for understanding the economic costs of stunting. Her work connects health-system investment with broader human capital outcomes, including the long-term consequences of poor nutrition.

Adnan Pasha Siddiqui, Advisor to the Minister of Finance, Government of Pakistan

Adnan Pasha Siddiqui advises Pakistan’s finance minister, placing him inside the institution that determines federal spending priorities. His role involves fiscal policy advice within severe macroeconomic and debt-servicing constraints. Pakistan’s fiscal space for social spending is narrow, making the case for any allocation intensely competitive. Decisions on development spending are made within the finance ministry regardless of which line ministry advocates them. His role provides insight into the fiscal constraints, resource allocation decisions and investment considerations that shape the financing of social and nutrition programmes.

G.M. Reza Sumon, Project Manager Workforce Nutrition, GAIN

G.M. Reza Sumon manages workforce nutrition programming for GAIN, working on interventions delivered through employers and supply chains. Workforce nutrition programmes cover employee meals, nutrition education, breastfeeding support and health checks in factory and farm settings. Bangladesh’s garment sector has served as a major testing ground for this delivery model at scale. Employers can reach large numbers of working-age women who are otherwise outside regular health-system contact. His work provides practical insight into using workplaces and supply chains as platforms for delivering nutrition interventions to working populations.

 Dr.Nosheen Taqvi, CEO/Founder, Nutradvice

Dr. Nosheen Taqvi founded and leads Nutradvice, a Pakistani nutrition practice providing dietary counselling and clinical nutrition services. Her work involves direct consultation with clients on diet, chronic disease management and maternal and child nutrition. Practitioners in this space encounter the practical realities of food cost, family food culture and adherence that population surveys cannot capture. Her clinical experience offers a practical perspective on household dietary choices, nutrition counselling and the challenges of translating nutritional guidance into everyday behaviour.

Attaullah Tarar, Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting

Attaullah Tarar serves as Pakistan’s federal information minister, directing national government communication and media policy. A lawyer by training, he has held ministerial roles covering information, broadcasting and law. His ministry oversees state broadcasting, press relations and national public information campaigns. Federal information machinery has been central to campaigns such as polio eradication, with mixed but instructive results. His role provides access to the national communication infrastructure needed to develop and disseminate public health and nutrition messaging at scale.

Ellen Thom, Deputy Representative, World Health Organization (WHO) Pakistan

Ellen Thom serves as WHO’s deputy representative in Pakistan, supporting the country office’s technical and operational programme. Her responsibilities span health systems support, emergency response coordination and technical guidance to federal and provincial authorities. WHO’s Pakistan office works on maternal and child health, wasting treatment protocols and health emergency preparedness. Deputy representatives typically carry substantial responsibility for programme implementation and partner coordination. Her role provides practical insight into integrating nutrition within health systems and coordinating the technical and operational partnerships required to deliver programmes effectively.

Dr. Faiza Wahab, Food Security Advisor, Nutrition & Social Protection, GIZ Pakistan

Faiza Wahab is a Food Security and Social Protection Advisor with GIZ Pakistan, working at the intersection of social protection, nutrition, food systems, and sustainable development. Her work focuses on leveraging social protection systems to improve nutrition outcomes, particularly for adolescent girls from vulnerable households. Through SOPRAN, she contributes to integrating weekly iron and folic acid supplementation, fortified wheat flour, nutrition education, and gender-transformative approaches into existing social protection platforms, including BISP’s Taleemi Wazaif programme. With a multidisciplinary academic background in Food Systems Management, Food Biochemistry, and Business Administration, Faiza is passionate about translating evidence into scalable, sustainable, and multisectoral solutions that strengthen food security, nutrition, resilience, and equitable development.

Dr. Giacomo Zanello, Co-chair, Global Nutrition Report

Dr. Giacomo Zanello’s research sits at the intersection of agriculture, food systems, nutrition and development, with a particular focus on low- and middle-income countries. His work examines how agricultural production, markets and household behaviour ultimately influence diets and health. As Co-chair of the Global Nutrition Report’s Independent Expert Group, he helps shape the evidence used to assess global nutrition progress and identify the food- and health-system changes required to accelerate it.