The UN Global Nutrition

Agenda (UNGNA v. 1.0)Francesco Branca

UNSCN Executive Secretary a.i., WHO Director of Nutrition

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The dysfunctional architecture• The Lancet Nutrition Series (paper 5, 2008)

The international nutrition system – made up of international donor

organizations, academia, civil society, and the private sector – is fragmented

and dysfunctional… The UN Standing Committee on Nutrition needs to become

a forum that makes individual UN agencies accountable for results.

• The SUN Stewardship Study (2011)

Leadership in international nutrition requires strong, credible leadership

coming from the UN System. Experience to date suggests that such UN

leadership is most effective when provided on a UN-wide basis rather than

from an individual UN organization or committee.

• The Lancet Nutrition Series (paper 4, 2013)

Despite SUN's substantial convening power, some external and country-level

confusion exists about the role of the SUN movement, the UN Standing

Committee on Nutrition, and the UN REACH programme.

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Rome Declaration on Nutrition

§14 - The United Nations system,

including the Committee on World Food

Security, and international and regional

financial institutions should work more

effectively together in order to support

national and regional efforts, as

appropriate, and enhance international

cooperation and development

assistance to accelerate progress in

addressing malnutrition;. 3

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The SUN Independent

Comprehensive Evaluation

(2015)There is wide agreement that the UN system, with its long-

standing presence in countries, has a critical role in

capacity building, and increasing national capacity and

expertise on nutrition, including multi-sectoral

coordination capacity… Even within the revitalised SUN

framework, mobilising prompt, effective and coordinated

action by the UN agencies remains a significant

challenge.

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The UNGNA is a guiding framework

for UN action in response to global

and country nutrition goals

• clarifies the role of the UN System, in

response to the changing global

nutrition policy landscape, given policy

commitments, agency mandates,

country expectations and needs

• provides guidance to UN teams a vision

of the UN’s shared agenda for nutrition5

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Process of UNGNA development

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August

2013: UNSCN/

UN Networ

k for SUN

Nairobi meeting

April 2014: face-to-

face meeting

May

2014: UN Network for SUN

workplan2014-2015

approved

Aug-Nov

2014: desk study,

electronicconsultations,

interviews

November

2014: face-to-face

meeting

February

2015: face-to-

face meeting

June

2015: final version

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e-consultation findings (1)

• 75% of individuals spend 40% or less of time on collaborative

activities

• many examples of collaboration, particularly in REACH

supported countries.

• collaboration is strongest on policy dialogue and support for

policy development, and weaker on situation analysis,

programme implementation, capacity building, knowledge

sharing, and M&E

• most respondents feel it is essential, or important, to

collaborate on all of these activities.

• collaboration is lowest on overweight/obesity and NCDs

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e-consultation findings (2)

• 60% indicated they have a mechanism to share information

about their programmes with other UN agencies, and/or they

have taken steps to align programmes to avoid duplication or

overlap

• less than 40 % indicated that they carry out joint programming

• 54% indicated that their agencies have policies and procedures in

place to allocate staff time and money to collaborative activities

• 54% said that their involvement in collaborative activities was

discussed in their last performance appraisal

• 44% said that collaboration was adequately rewarded in their

agencies

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The vision

The UN’s interagency work seeks to

catalyse action to achieve optimal nutrition

worldwide. Through our normative and

operational activities at global, regional

and country levels, we act collectively to

support countries in their advocacy,

governance and implementation efforts to

prevent and rapidly reduce all forms of

malnutrition9

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Ten guiding principles1. Nutrition is a pervasive development issue requiring action across the

globe

2. Multiple forms of malnutrition are interrelated and co-occur in a large number of countries

3. Nutrition is a multisectoral issue

4. Food system change is fundamental to addressing nutrition challenges

5. Health system strengthening is essential to achieve nutrition goals

6. Good nutrition also requires, and is necessary for, functioning education systems, social protection, and efforts to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality

7. The UN is steered by a Human Rights-Based approach to nutrition

8. UN nutrition activities are informed by a commitment to gender rights

9. The UN acts in support of country priorities. local adaptation of strategies is needed, according to varying country nutrition situations.

10. The UN system is one role player among several, playing unique convening, networking, brokering, and technical support roles

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Three strategic outcomes

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Nutrition is embedded in policies and

governance systems at all levels

Nutrition is embedded in policies and

governance systems at all levels

Adequate support systems are in place -

evidence, data, human and financial resources

Adequate support systems are in place -

evidence, data, human and financial resources

Quality programmes(nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive) are implemented at scale

Quality programmes(nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive) are implemented at scale

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Fourteen specific goals• Goal 1.1 : UN nutrition agenda in 75% SUN countries by 2016

• Goal 1.2 : budgeting, financing and expenditure tracking in SUN

countries supported by UN

• Goal 1.3 : coordinated advocacy programme

• Goal 1.4 : adequate staffing and budget in 6 UN organizations

• Goal 1.5 : UN network involves all UN organization in countries

• Goal 1.6 : global governance system for nutrition in 2017

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• Goal 2.1 : timely and high-quality support to countries

• Goal 2.2 : increased coverage and quality of iterventions

• Goal 2.3 : malnutrition levels declining

• Goal 3.1 : support to information systems

• Goal 3.2 : innovative financing

• Goal 3.3 : human capacity scale up

• Goal 3.4 : knowledge platforms aligned

• Goal 3.5 : research agendas developed

Accountability

• UN System organizations, through the agencynutrition leads will beresponsible for translatingthe UNGNA vision, principles and goals intotheir workplans

• agencies seek increasedalignment to the prioritiesagreed in the UNGNA

• reviews and updates of UNGNA every 2 years

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In conclusion …

• UNGNA 1.0 starts to articulate UN joint

programming and action

• UNGNA 1.0 is a living document, not a blueprint

• currently we focus on SUN countries

• principles and priorities apply to UN agencies’

efforts to support the achievement of nutrition

goals worldwide

• we shall be eporting in 2 years about progress

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