UN System Network for Scaling Up Nutrition. Work Plan for (9 May 2014)

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Solomon Bishop
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1 Background and Context UN System Network for Scaling Up Nutrition Work Plan for (9 May 2014) The UN System Network for Scaling Up Nutrition (from here on referred to as the UN Nutrition Network) is serving as one of the five 2 networks of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement to support SUN countries. This document presents the UN Nutrition Network s work plan for the biennium It is advised to read this work plan jointly with the endorsed UN Network Concept Note available at This document is divided in two sections: 1. Role of the UN Nutrition Network 2. Detailed work plan Role of UN Nutrition Network The UN Nutrition Network, co-facilitated by the UN System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN) and the Renewed Efforts Against Child Hunger and Undernutrition (REACH), ensures harmonized nutrition guidance and approaches for country-led efforts to scaling up nutrition. The UN Network includes, but is not limited to, initiating partners namely FAO, UNICEF, WFP, WHO and IFAD, 3 who together form the Technical Group of the UN Network. The strength of the UN Nutrition Network is the significant engagement, expertise and experience of the UN agencies at country level, which serves as a foundation for the Network to build upon. The UN Nutrition Network aims primarily to support countries in scaling up nutrition by providing technical and programming assistance and governance support to governments, SUN Country Focal Points and other stakeholders. Optimal joint UN action can provide effective support for evidencebased policy formulation and scaling up of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions at local, regional or global levels. The role of the UN Nutrition Network includes the following: Support countries in scaling up nutrition: o Strengthen national nutrition policies / action plans by providing support to national governments and technical groups and enabling a multi-sectoral approach 1 As refined and operationalized at the Technical Group face to face meeting in April SUN country Network, SUN donor Network, SUN civil society organizations Network, SUN business Network, SUN UN system Network 3 IFAD participates in an advisory role to the REACH Steering Committee thus is integrated as member of UN Network Technical Group 1

2 o o o Increase advocacy, awareness and consensus of stakeholders on the nutrition situation and facilitate the development of strategies / priorities for its improvement Increase national capacity and expertise on nutrition, including multi-sectoral coordination capacity Strengthen governance by increasing effectiveness and accountability of stakeholders in implementing and supporting nutrition efforts Increase coordination between UN agencies and facilitate joint approaches: o Ensure that all UN agencies contribute in support of multi-sectoral national nutrition plans in a transparent, accountable, coordinated and collaborative way o Harmonize UN nutrition messages,programme approaches, advocacy and fundraising for nutrition o Coordinate interaction within the UN Nutrition Network at all levels in close cooperation with SUN Government Focal Points and other Networks 4 o Support the mainstreaming of nutrition within UN agencies including nutrition specific actions and nutrition-sensitive development approaches. o Build consensus on joint UN guiding principles and approaches in nutrition by fostering a common understanding of the complementarity of agency responsibilities. o Enhance dialogue, partnerships and accountability for joint and coordinated nutrition action. o Strengthen the linkages between normative guidelines and operational functions in nutrition programming. Knowledge center and tools: o Share the evidence base for the efficacy of different interventions (including delivery methodologies) and best-practice (including on nutrition-sensitive approaches) which could contribute to setting standards for nutritional outcomes. o Support identification of knowledge gaps and contribute as adequate to developing knowledge to fill the identified gaps o Serve as a forum for providing guidance to critical and new emerging issues relating to nutrition. Global advocacy: o Connect UN agencies and liaise with other stakeholders including the SUN Networks and SUN Secretariat at the global level to consistently advocate for the importance of addressing malnutrition. o Influence global discourse by providing UN input to forums such as the Post 2015 Development Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals, World Health Assembly (WHA), the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), the UN General Assembly, G8 and G20. 4 During the Rome face-to-face meeting it was clearly mentioned that the UN Nutrition Network should have a global reach and not only refer to the 50 SUN countries 2

3 2. Work plan In the biennium , the UN Nutrition Network will be reshaped, consolidated and expanded by ensuring that all interested UN agencies and entities with relevance to nutrition have the opportunity to engage dynamically in joint network activities. The UN Network for Nutrition is open to all interested UN agencies and entities with relevance to nutrition. All members will be given the opportunity to engage dynamically in joint network activities. The UN Nutrition Network will continue to promote the mainstreaming of nutrition, including nutrition-specific interventions and nutrition-sensitive development approaches, within agencies. It will develop a UN Global Nutrition Agenda through a collaborative effort by its member agencies clearly demonstrating that the UN System is fit for purpose and able to respond to the new global challenges clarifying the role of the UN system, both collectively and as individual agencies. As highlighted in the Rome April 2014 face-to-face meeting, priority will be given to concrete joint actions on the ground to scale up nutrition (e.g. on stunting, obesity, anaemia) and at the same time ensure joint and visible contributions to the post-2015 Development Agenda process and International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2). Continued guidance will be provided to UN teams for better understanding role and responsibilities and link to the broader SUN framework at country and global level. An assessment of the current use of the the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) food and nutrition security guidelines will be done. Pending the results of this assessment, a decision may be made to review/ update them. The specific workplan is shown in the table below. 3

4 Actions Deliverables Responsible Timeline 1. Consolidate and expand the UN Nutrition Network scope and impact. 1.1 Elaborated and documented UN Nutrition Network Vision and Strategy (UN Global Nutrition Agenda) including an accountability framework UNSCN End Proposed structure for one UN Nutrition Network support unit and/or alternate structure for post 2015 With support from UNSCN Chair Mid Expanded Membership of UN Network (other UN agencies, World Bank etc.) UNSCN By end 2014, Expansion on-going 1.4 Strategy developed and implemented to leverage -big agriculture and health World Bank/IFAD projects and other initiatives such as Muskoka etc. UNSCN and UN Agencies ongoing 2. Facilitate the synergized /integrated joint and coordinated efforts of the UN System in nutrition with the support of the UN Resident Coordinators who act as convenors of the UN Nutrition Network at country level. 2.1 UN Nutrition Strategy developed for 13 countries or region to promote: Joint programming approaches and documents developed in alignment with national nutrition strategies Joint advocacy, messaging and fundraising. 2.2 Basic package of guidance to UNCT / RC/HC on UN Nutrition Network to better understand their role and link to the broader SUN framework UN nutrition chiefs (WFP, FAO, UNICEF, WHO, IFAD) with support from the UNSCN and REACH secretariat UNSCN and REACH End 2015 Done 2.3 Strengthened nutrition governance from existing 13 to an additional 10 countries including the establishment and functioning of the UN Nutrition Network for SUN (UNCT/UN nutrition team with support of REACH where present, on going) REACH At least one annual Global and/or Regional Meeting with UN RDs and UNSCN

5 Actions Deliverables Responsible Timeline UNCT. 2.5 Joint UN Nutrition Network approach (with support from joint HQ / Regional programme missions) to promote UN joint programming/ action/operational strategies in and selected regions such as Sahel UN nutrition chiefs (e.g. WFP, FAO, UNICEF, WHO, IFAD) with support from REACH and UNSCN Secretariat January- December Joint UN Network strategy for capacity building in nutrition 2.6 Unified UN System Network knowledge sharing platform and communication strategy (e.g. website links, e-letter, electronic discussion groups, talking points on nutrition) UN nutrition chiefs (WFP, FAO, UNICEF, WHO, IFAD and others tbd) with support from the UNSCN secretariat UNSCN and REACH End 2015 Ongoing 3. Promote nutrition and harmonized policy formulation within and across agencies, and support global level reporting. 2.7 Annual progress report on UN Network for input in SUN annual report. 3.1 Consolidated contributions on Nutrition in Post-2015 development agenda UNSCN September 2014 and 2015 UNSCN Organized UN Network Side Event at ICN2, CFS41, CFS42 and annual SUN Global Gathering 3.3 UNDAF food and nutrition security guidelines: Assessment of the use of the guidelines by UNCT UNSCN UNSCN Second half 2014, and 2015 mid

6 Actions Deliverables Responsible Timeline 4. Operationalize the existing SUN M&E framework and assist in interagency collaboration and implementation of it. Updated UNDAF guidelines for nutrition (based on the results of the assessment) 3.4 Consolidated contributions to an Annual Global Report on Nutrition Develop/Design a framework for UN accountability based on the SUN M&E framework for nutrition end 2014 UNSCN By Dec 2014, By Dec 2015 UNSCN/REACH

7 ANNEX 1: Countries participating in SUN Movement and REACH SUN countries with REACH facilitators in country (as of 1. January 2014) SUN participating REACH 1 Bangladesh X 2 Benin 3 Burkina Faso 4 Burundi x 5 Cameroon 6 Chad X 7 Comoros 8 Congo, DRC 9 Cote d Ivoire 10 El Salvador 11 Ethiopia X 12 Gambia 13 Ghana X 14 Guatemala 15 Guinea 16 Haiti 17 Indonesia 18 Kenya 19 Kyrgyz Republic 20 Laos PDR 21 Madagascar 22 Malawi 23 Mali X 24 Mauritania X 25 Mozambique X 26 Myanmar 27 Namibia 28 Nepal X 29 Niger X 30 Nigeria 31 Pakistan 32 Peru 33 Republic of the Congo 34 Rwanda X 35 Senegal 36 Sierra Leone 37 South Sudan 38 Sri Lanka 39 Swaziland 40 Tajikistan 41 Tanzania X 42 Uganda X 43 Yemen 44 Zambia 45 Zimbabwe 7

8 Contacts UN System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN) UNSCN Chair Ramiro Lopes da Silva UNSCN Executive Secretary Dr. Francesco Branca UNSCN Secretariat c/o World Health Organization 20, Avenue Appia CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland Telephone: [41-22] Renewed Efforts Against Child Hunger and Undernutrition (REACH) Global REACH Coordinator Nancy Walters REACH Secretariat C/o World Food Programme Via C.G.Viola 68 Parco dei Medici Rome - Italy 8

Side Event on Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) and the Global Nutrition Architecture. WFP Executive Board Second Regular Session November 11, 2015

Side Event on Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) and the Global Nutrition Architecture WFP Executive Board Second Regular Session November 11, 2015 SUN Movement Strategy - 2016-2020 WFP Executive Board Second