CEE/CIS Workshop 2015

24-25 September 2015

On September 24-25, 2015, the IGN and UNICEF held a consultative workshop for countries in the CEE/CIS (Central and Eastern Europe/ Commonwealth of Independent States) Region on "Sustainable prevention of iodine deficiency and achievement of optimal iodine nutrition" in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The Workshop's aims were as follows:

1.	Review the status of USI implementation and approaches to overcome critical bottlenecks.
2.	Revise activities and action plans of national multi-sectoral USI coalitions, and define the steps toward formation and/or strengthening of such coalitions.
3.	Discuss the quality assurance of the national iodized salt production, supply, and use in the context of existing surveillance and monitoring activities.
4.	Share pertinent experiences, lessons learned and good management practices for sustained USI.
5.	Share the latest technical developments in IDD prevention and approaches to integrating national salt iodization and sodium reduction strategies.
6.	Develop a work plan and a 3-4 year "Sustainability Road Map" for each country.

The Almaty Workshop was attended by 50 participants from 10 countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Participants included Government officials (Ministries of Health, Sanitary-Epidemiological and Consumer Protection Services), health and nutrition experts, salt industry representatives, as well as UNICEF and IGN representatives from the CEE/CIS Region.

Photo: CEE/CIS Regional Workshop was attended by national teams, including national IDD/USI programme managers, IGN National Coordinators, Government officials, and representatives from the salt industries and NGOs from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

A report from the CEE/CIS Regional Workshop was published in the November issue (4/2015) of the IDD Newsletter, and a press release can be found on the UNICEF website.

If you're interested in the latest news and updates on iodine programs and iodine nutrition around the world, follow us on Twitter.

Selected Workshop presentations are now available to view and download (in Russian).