Delegates from the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) showcased nutrition-focused governance solutions at the 18th Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Global Health Conference held at Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 28–31, 2025. Three representatives from the ZFF Nutrition team presented lessons from ZFF’s governance-focused approach to strengthening local nutrition systems during the Global Health Nutrition Parallel Sessions.

Dr. Joyce Viar, Nutrition Director at ZFF, demonstrated nutrition leadership in practice through a governance approach, highlighting how the Pook Malusog Nutrition Governance Program strengthens local leadership and builds resilient nutrition systems. Jennifer Nandu, ZFF Nutrition Project Expert, illustrated how improved governance in Basilan transformed peace gains into better nutrition outcomes, showing how nutrition can serve as a dividend of peace. Rio Fe del Valle, ZFF Nutrition Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Expert, showcased how ZFF’s First 1,000 Days (F1KD) Nutrition Roadmap helps local government units (LGUs) build more coherent, accountable, and functional nutrition systems.

View the presentations:

• Nutrition Leadership in Practice: A Governance Approach through the Pook Malusog Nutrition Governance Program
• From Conflict to Care: Nutrition as a Dividend of Peace through Good Governance in Basilan
• Strengthening Local Nutrition Systems through Governance: Implementation of the F1KD Nutrition Roadmap by the Zuellig Family Foundation
• More knowledge products

These presentations emphasized that nutrition governance relies on building leadership, systems, and structures that drive sustainable change. Strong governance enables LGUs to integrate sectors, use data effectively, safeguard programs across political cycles, and design solutions tailored to local realities. The presenters stressed that sustained improvements in child and maternal nutrition occur only when governance is strong, coordinated, and people-centered.

The ZFF delegates’ contributions complemented broader conference discussions on how interconnected factors—health systems, maternal health, education, mental well-being, climate risks, and community conditions—shape nutrition. Presenters showed how school environments, caregiving practices, and exposure to environmental hazards affect children’s growth and learning. They also highlighted the needs of vulnerable groups and the expanding role of digital tools in promoting food literacy and healthier behaviors among youth.

Overall, the sessions reinforced a key insight: governments and development partners must address malnutrition through a multisectoral, systems-oriented approach that goes beyond feeding programs and accounts for the social, environmental, and health-related factors influencing the well-being of children and families, not only across the Asia-Pacific region, but also globally.

Author: Rio Fe Del Valle, ZFF Nutrition Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Expert

At the 18th Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Global Health Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Rio Fe del Valle, Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) Nutrition Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Expert, explained how ZFF’s First 1,000 Days (F1KD) Nutrition Roadmap helps local government units strengthen their nutrition systems. She showed how the roadmap guides local governments to plan better, stay accountable, and deliver more coordinated services for mothers and young children during the critical early months and years of life.

ZFF Presentation_APRU F1KD Roadmap

At 18th Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Global Health Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jennifer Nandu, Nutrition Project Expert at Zuellig Family Foundation, shared how Basilan improved its nutrition outcomes by strengthening local governance. She described how communities used peace gains to expand access to services and demonstrated how good leadership allows nutrition to become a meaningful dividend of peace.

ZFF Presentation_APRU Basilan

At 18th Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Global Health Conference held on October 28–31, 2025, at Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Dr. Joyce Viar, Nutrition Director of the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), presented how ZFF strengthens nutrition leadership through a governance approach. She introduced the Pook Malusog Nutrition Governance Program and showed how it equips local leaders to work together, make informed decisions, and build stronger, more resilient nutrition systems.

ZFF Presentation_APRU Nutrition Governance

This technical paper looks at how ZFF-supported cities and municipalities performed in the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) Health Compliance and Responsiveness (HCR) assessments from 2022 to 2024, and compares these results with national performance.

Building on the provincial benchmarking study released in May 2025, this follow-up analysis helps ZFF better understand where its partner local governments are progressing and where more support is needed. The findings will guide future program strategies, strengthen collaboration with local government units, and support more responsive capacity development aligned with national priorities for Universal Health Care.

Benchmarking of ZFF Cities and Municipalities with SGLG HCR_Sept2025_FINAL

This poster presented at the Evidence and Implementation Summit 2025, held October 27–29, 2025 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Australia, showcases the First 1,000 Days (F1KD) Nutrition Roadmap. The roadmap guides local governments in strengthening maternal and child nutrition by applying the World Health Organization (WHO)’s health system building blocks and the Zuellig Family Foundation’s Eight Critical Knobs of Nutrition Governance.

From 2019–2022, the roadmap improved governance, planning, financing, data use, and service delivery across five priority provinces under the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) through a structured systems review and adaptive learning tools. It enabled local governments to act more cohesively, use evidence effectively, and integrate stronger strategies into their Provincial Nutrition Action Plans (PNAPs). While the country reduced stunting rates nationally, ongoing malnutrition and food insecurity underscore the need to further strengthen multisectoral and locally driven nutrition systems.

Read more:

• From Evidence to Action: Strengthening Nutrition Governance through the First 1,000 Days Roadmap

ZFF Poster_F1KD Nutrition Roadmap

At the Evidence and Implementation Summit (EIS) 2025, I represented the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) among global leaders in research, policy, and practice. Held in partnership with the Implementation Science Health Conference Australia (ISHCA), the Summit reminded us that in health, nutrition, and early childhood development, having evidence is not enough—how we translate it into action is what truly makes a difference.

Implementation Science: Turning Knowledge into Practice

Implementation science studies how practitioners can turn evidence-based interventions into routine practice. Its goal is simple but profound: to improve lives by ensuring proven programs reach people, adapt to their needs, and remain effective over time. At ZFF, we live this every day. Our First 1,000 Days (F1KD) Nutrition Roadmap serves as a laboratory of learning. We track what works, address challenges, and translate lessons into actionable guidance for local implementers, policymakers, and partner organizations.

The Summit highlighted that scaling up programs never works perfectly from the start. As Cillian Nolan of J-PAL Europe noted, “Scaling up may open more challenges and problems. Having a model doesn’t mean there’s no room for refinement.” Even for our Nutrition Leadership and Equity Acceleration Program (NutriLEAP), a successful pilot requires continuous adaptation to succeed in different contexts. Challenges do not signal failure, but rather they spark creativity, innovation, and learning.

Early Childhood Care and Development: The Power of Early Stimulation

The Summit also featured the power of early childhood care and development (ECCD). Research shows that the earliest years critically shape brain development, language acquisition, and social-emotional growth. In New Zealand, children as young as 1.5 years old engage in structured learning routines, sound play, storytelling, and early mathematical exercises. These activities improve brain development, language skills, and self-regulation, even for children from low-income families. Singapore’s programs highlight social-emotional skill building, showing that strong early foundations help children thrive academically and socially. For the Philippines, these examples underscore both guidance and urgency: investing in early childhood strengthens the nation’s future.

Engaging Local Government: Context is Everything

During a Special Interest Group session on international development, participants discussed how varying government support affects program implementation. I shared ZFF’s experience collaborating with local government units to strengthen health and nutrition systems. The Philippines’ devolved governance structure offers opportunities for local innovation, but outcomes depend on leaders’ capacity and commitment. This session reinforced a key principle of implementation science: context shapes success. Evidence-based programs succeed only when implementers understand local realities, build strong relationships, and exercise effective leadership.

EIS 2025 reminded me that progress requires persistence, learning, and continuous adaptation—not perfect models. Implementation science provides the framework to bridge evidence and action, while ECCD demonstrates why early, evidence-informed interventions shape healthier, more equitable communities. At ZFF, we implement strategies thoughtfully, document lessons rigorously, and share knowledge widely—ensuring every child, regardless of background, can thrive.

Author: Dr. Joyce Viar, ZFF Nutrition Director

The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) joined the Evidence and Implementation Summit (EIS) 2025, a global event that brought together experts from different regions to share how they use evidence to guide better decisions in public health, social development, and community welfare. ZFF presented its abstract and poster on the First 1,000 Days Roadmap, becoming the only Filipino organization featured in its category.

Turning Evidence into Action

ZFF shared how it applies implementation science to address malnutrition and stunting in the Philippines—challenges that continue to affect children’s growth and development. Through the First 1,000 Days Roadmap, ZFF showed how leadership development, systems thinking, and intersectoral collaboration among local governments and partners strengthen health and nutrition services for families.

ZFF Nutrition Director Dr. Joyce Viar explained that turning evidence into action requires more than technical skills. She noted that collaboration, trust, and a shared understanding of how research improves people’s lives make implementation truly effective.

Sharing the ZFF Pook Malusog Experience

ZFF presented its Nutrition Governance approach through the Pook Malusog Program, which helps local governments strengthen their health and nutrition systems. The program demonstrates how good governance and evidence-based action work together to create lasting change.

Through ZFF’s Pook Malusog Dashboard, local leaders can detect malnutrition early through its automatic calculation of inputted health indicators. The dashboard can be used offline and includes a geo-tagging feature that helps track families needing nutrition support. By consolidating health and nutrition data, it enables timely and informed decisions at the local level.

 

Inspiration from Global Leaders

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon captured the spirit of the event with his message to “make things happen.” He described the summit as truly inspiring, offering practical lessons that can guide continued innovation in health and development.

Several key insights from the sessions resonated with ZFF’s work:

• Balancing speed and strategy in implementing programs recognizing when to move quickly and when to pause for reflection to avoid counterproductive results.
• Ensuring both the quality of evidence and the quality of its use focusing not only on whether research informs policy but also on how effectively it is applied.
• Combining data with compelling storytelling showing that evidence paired with a strong narrative can inspire reforms and motivate stakeholders to act.

Together with organizations from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, ZFF contributed to discussions on how countries adapt and scale solutions that fit their own contexts. By engaging with a global community of practice, ZFF continues to “make things happen” for better health and nutrition outcomes in the Philippines. Addressing stunting and wasting among children must remain a national priority, requiring sustained investments in proven interventions that can be replicated and scaled to maximize impact for future generations.

Author: Samantha Morales, ZFF Nutrition Knowledge Management and Communications Associate; Krizzia Esperanza, ZFF Corporate Communications Associate

Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) Chairman Dr. Manuel M. Dayrit shares his reflections in the Georgetown-Lancet Commission on Faith, Trust, and Health, drawing from five decades of public health leadership in the Philippines and abroad.

Dr. Dayrit recalls his early work in rural Mindanao, where he learned that trust begins with listening. “We built a community of kindred spirits,” he said. “We learned to speak the language of the heart by listening to their needs and aspirations.”

As a former Secretary of Health and World Health Organization (WHO) Director, he led efforts to strengthen health systems and unite people around a shared mission. Now as ZFF Chair, he continues to guide programs that build local leadership and advance Universal Health Care (UHC)—work that he sees as both technical and spiritual.

“Promoting [UHC] requires attention not only to political and technical issues, but also to the spiritual journey of individuals and communities toward compassion, fairness, and peace,” he said.

Excerpt from the feature:

Why did you want to join a commission focused on faith, trust, and health, and what are you hoping it will achieve?

The invitation to join the Commission came at an auspicious moment. I had recently returned from Southern Philippines [Mindanao], where I met with Imams to discuss teenage pregnancy prevention in a culture where girls are married off as soon as their monthly periods begin. I also met Catholic educators who were teaching Muslim children about health at school. I saw that our local efforts could be shared and amplified by joining a global Commission that seeks to bring faith and health communities together to improve health care for marginalized populations.

Read the full feature here

Related article:

• Zuellig Family Foundation Welcomes Dr. Manuel Dayrit as Chairman of the Board of Trustees