A coordinated regional strategy would help bolster governmental efforts to improve child nutrition and maternal health care, said Minister for Women & Children Affairs Khurshid Jahan Haque.

Addressing the Regional Ministerial Consultation on Maternal and Child Health in Asian countries, she outlined the process of incorporating the nutrition perspective into the country's efforts to reduce poverty.

The minister was unanimously elected the chairperson of the consultations on the first day of the three-day conference on Wednesday.

Pointing to the success of food-based nutrition integration programmes in Bangladesh, Khurshid Jahan said infant mortality rate has come down from 75 per thousand live births to 60 per thousand.

Besides, 30 percent babies are born with a low weight, down from 35 percent, she said.

Listing the various measures taken by the government to improve child nutrition and maternal care, the minister said Bangladesh was "increasingly getting global recognition for its landmark achievements in executing successfully programmes in health care, school education and population control."

Inaugurating the conference on Wednesday, Indian Health Minister Ambumanni Ramadoss suggested a regional collaborative network to support maternal and child nutrition activities.

Such network would help funding institutions and the private sector to reach out to those parts of Asia which have so far remained beyond the food security net, he said.

Ramadoss said underweight status and micro-nutritional deficiencies are one of the major causes of death and foetal malnutrition.

Organised by the World Food Programme and India, the conference is being attended by representatives from several countries, including Indonesia, Nepal, Cambodia and Myanmar.