Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn stands today as a shining light, showing the world how the process of attaining ‘Nutrition Security for All’ can realistically be undertaken.  For almost three decades, Her Royal Highness has devoted her life to improving the nutritional well-being and quality of life of the poorest and the neediest, and especially to improving the lives of children who are the future of the country and the world. 

Her Royal Highness has shown us that the attainment of nutrition security must transcend social, cultural and geographic boundaries.  Her Royal Highness is a leader in pioneering systematic campaigns in food, nutrition and education that reach people who are usually not a part of mainstream society and are often neglected.  Her work has touched the lives of countless children and families living in remote locations and under difficult living conditions, as well as among those population groups often marginalized due to cultural or religious differences.  Moreover, Her Royal Highness’ untiring efforts stretch beyond the borders of Thailand to improving the lives of people living in neighboring countries and beyond, such as Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Mongolia.

Her Royal Highness’ expertise spans broad, yet interrelated areas, including education, nutrition, public health, human rights, and sustainable social and economic development.  In today’s world, such a holistic approach to the application of interdisciplinary knowledge is rare, but Her Royal Highness has shown that it can be done, and it can lead to realistic, sustainable results in nutrition.

Her Royal Highness is both a practitioner and achiever, believing firmly that starting small and learning from mistakes can lead to the best use of resources and thus success.  Her Royal Highness is also a learner, constantly seeking new knowledge that when applied in simple, economic and productive ways, can lead to sound improvements in the lives of children, their mothers and families.

Her Royal Highness’ commitment is evident in many arenas.  Her Royal Highness’ belief that improving the nutrition and health of children must start at the beginning of life has led to training programs in basic nutrition and health care for adolescent girls and pregnant and lactating women, so they are capable of feeding their infants properly and providing basic health care when needed.

Her Royal Highness’ programs in food and nutrition have led to substantial improvements in children’s nutritional well-being.  Her Royal Highness’ school feeding programs promote children’s participation and a learning-by-doing approach that allow children to gain valuable knowledge and skills, as well as to adopt proper eating habit and better personal hygiene practices.  By empowering young people in this way, Her Royal Highness has equipped them with the best tools for life.

Her Royal Highness is also a firm believer in sustainable local development, inspired by the lifelong example of her revered father, His Majesty the King.  Her Royal Highness has empowered local people to adopt improved agricultural and animal husbandry practices to enable them to provide proper, high quality food for their pregnant and lactating women and children, thus ensuring household food security and the nutritional well-being of all family members.

Above all, Her Royal Highness has advocated for a culturally sensitive approach to nutrition and development.  Where people still adhere to their own religious customs, cultural beliefs, and traditional medical practices, Her Royal Highness is spearheading innovative research and development programs aimed at merging local wisdom and scientific knowledge to improve food and nutrition practices.

On behalf of the IUNS, it is with great honor that this citation is extended to Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for her lifelong commitment to and humanitarian work in nutrition.