Consultation launched to establish the SUN Civil Society Network in the Central African Republic

February 12, 2020 - Last update: February 10, 2023

The non-governmental organisation Action against Hunger, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and under the supervision of the national Multisectoral Technical Committee for Food Security and Nutrition (CTMSAN), has held a stakeholder consultation meeting on establishing the Civil Society Network for Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) in the Central African Republic. The meeting was held on Friday 24 January at the Hotel Ledger Plaza in Bangui, in the presence of many dignitaries and officials from national and international organisations.

Numerous officials from various national organisations and international partners attended the meeting. The objectives were to instigate reflection and discussion about establishing a SUN Civil Society Network, inform these actors about the SUN Movement, consult them on the format for establishing the network, and form a select committee to draft the basic documents.

This is a welcome initiative for sustainable development in the Central African Republic, according to Dr André Kouabosso, Coordinator of the Multisectoral Technical Committee for Food Security and Nutrition at the Ministry of Public Health.

“The Central African Republic is committed to making nutrition an essential driver for development. As you know, nutrition is a multi-faceted problem that must be addressed using a multi-stakeholder approach. This is why the objective of this meeting is to instigate the process of reflection and discussion about establishing a SUN Civil Society Network, as recommended by the SUN Movement. The Movement arose from increased collective awareness among the international community about tackling undernutrition. It takes a collaborative approach to ending all forms of malnutrition. It is bringing together individuals from civil society, the United Nations, private sector donors and the research community, to improve nutrition,” he explained.

The extent of malnutrition has been demonstrated through the findings of various studies; it is one of the major public health issues in the Central African Republic.