SHILLONG, MAY 14: A UNICEF delegation met Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma at Taraghar on Thursday to review joint work on child health, nutrition, maternal care, immunization and adolescent development, and praised the state’s “grassroots and community-driven interventions.”
UNICEF officials, after a two-day field visit, described Meghalaya as demonstrating strong leadership in child-focused human development and noted the state’s push towards a “003 Agenda” — zero maternal deaths, zero unimmunized children, and ensuring healthy growth in the first 1,000 days to prevent stunting.
The delegation also highlighted Mission 1000 Days, launched on March 31, and lauded the Young People’s Action Group as a meaningful platform through which young people can directly contribute to policy discussions and development priorities.
Speaking during the meeting, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said that Meghalaya’s development strategy is centered on human development and building long-term institutional systems rather than isolated scheme-based interventions.
He said the government has linked departments and programmes to address needs from early childhood through adolescence.
He noted that the State has consciously adopted an integrated approach, bringing together multiple departments, programmes, and stakeholders to address the life-cycle needs of citizens—from early childhood to adolescence and beyond.
On outcomes, the CM pointed to eight years of targeted work. The Chief Minister highlighted that over the last eight years, Meghalaya has made significant progress in addressing key developmental challenges such as maternal mortality, infant mortality, immunization gaps, malnutrition, and adolescent development through innovative, data-driven, and community-led interventions.
He underlined the role of evidence and digital tools in tracking progress.
He emphasized the importance of documentation, evidence-based policymaking, and digital monitoring systems in ensuring measurable outcomes, adding that Meghalaya is building a development model that can potentially serve as a reference for other states facing similar challenges.
The Chief Minister invited UNICEF to continue supporting the State through technical expertise, documentation of best practices, knowledge exchange, and partnerships with development institutions and CSR stakeholders to further scale successful interventions.
UNICEF reaffirmed its commitment to partner with Meghalaya on maternal and child health, nutrition, disability inclusion, adolescent empowerment, and community-led initiatives.
