Begum Khaleda Zia, Prime Minister of Bangladesh

U.N. Special Session on Children, May 8th, 2002.

"A lack of iodine in the human body results in low learning capacity and poor health and these ultimately affect economic growth. It can also cause mental and physical impairment of the newborn. The World Summit for Children in 1990 declared to eliminate IDD by the year 2000. It was in this background that extensive interventions were started...

The strong sense of ownership of the program by the private sector has been crucial in ensuring the sustainability of the universal salt iodization initiatives in the past. Stakeholders from all levels contributed to improving the quality of iodized salt. In general, education, information, and communication activities played a key role in promoting behavioral change among crude salt producers, millers, whole-salers, retailers, and consumers."