The UN World Food Program (WFP) has called for more efforts to stop the high level of child stunting in semi-arid northeastern Uganda also known as Karamoja. Ryan Anderson, acting deputy WFP country director, told Xinhua in an interview on Friday that the stunting rates in the region of over 1 million people stands at 35.5 percent, which is above the World Health Organization threshold of 15 percent. "We have made a lot of progress with government in the last 10-15 years. "In 2006, it was nearly 50 percent and in 2016 it is at 35 percent. "This is very good progress, but still a very long way to go to get to acceptable levels and reach ultimate goal of zero by 2030," he said. "We need more efforts. "We need to look at agricultural production, address food insecurity, provide social protection, education and providing nutrient foods to prevent it." he said. Stunting is a result of chronic malnutrition and regular undernourishment. Sarah Zeid, a visiting global advocate of WFP’s work in improving nutrition and wellbeing of women, children and adolescents around the world, told Xinhua here in the northeastern district of Moroto that the high stunting rates were ‘deeply worrying’. "We can do more and we can do better. "The impact of malnutrition during the first 1,000 days, not only has life-long health and nutrition consequences on the individual, but also socio-economic development consequences at the household, community and national level," said Zeid. "What is required here is a timely multi-sectoral, holistic and integrated approach. "Tackling nutrition, you need to be looking at food scarcity, looking at climate mitigation and you need to be providing the health needs," she said. Zeid hailed China for its support to the region, describing it as incredible and extraordinary assistance. China, through WFP, this year provided emergency food aid worth 5 million U.S. dollars to Karamoja to benefit some 130,000 school going children to have two meals a day for the next ten months. "This is essential, critical and extraordinary contribution because it means the children will come to school, children will stay in school, the teachers can focus in school because they are also fed and are given a little bit of food because they have families to provide for," she said. WFP said it is working with government through health centers to provide pregnant, nursing women and children aged 6-23 months with nutritious meals in order to prevent stunted growth. The agency said in 2017, it provided specialized nutritious food to some 50,000 children under 2 years as well as pregnant and lactating women at the government health centers in Karamoja region. This year, the agency targets to reach some 97,000 moderately acute malnourished children below five years of age. .