Thank you Chair, distinguished delegates,

We welcome the report and highlight the importance of including rare diseases within maternal, infant, and young child nutrition efforts. Many rare conditions - particularly metabolic and genetic disorders - depend on timely nutritional interventions, including specialized diets and supplements, to prevent severe disability or death. Yet access to these often simple, life-saving interventions remains uneven, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Integrating rare diseases into nutrition programmes, newborn screening, and primary care can enable early diagnosis, early intervention, and greatly improve outcomes.

We call on Member States to strengthen equitable access to essential nutritional products and ensure that nutrition policies address the needs of children living with rare diseases.

Thank you.