New SDG toolkit and scorecard equips civil society with tools needed to advocate for better nutrition policy

In May 2017, the SUN Civil Society Network launched a new toolkit to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to nutrition are well-integrated in national development plans, policies, and strategies.

Download the toolkit:  English / Français

For the next 15 years, each country will have to make sure that national development plans, as well as all new policies, are aligned with the SDGs. Civil society and advocates for nutrition security play an important role in encouraging the best policies that will achieve the best impact on nutritional outcomes.

This tool provides a general overview of what the SDGs are and why they are important for nutrition. It also:

• Introduces the different steps that can be taken to influence government’s policies and plans.
• Provides ready-to-use key messages that can be used by advocates for dissemination to make sure that nutrition is well-reflected in their government’s development priorities, as well as some specific messages for each SDG relevant for nutrition.
• Presents supplementary information in annexes, including a table with additional nutrition-related targets and indicators and another table with information on the national development plans in a select group of countries.

The tool was originally developed by Action against Hunger to support advocacy teams in its mission countries, and has been adapted for use by wider civil society.

Scorecard on national nutrition targets: MEASURING PROGRESS TOWARDS ENDING MALNUTRITION

In 2012, the World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted a resolution establishing six global nutrition targets. The targets, to be achieved by 2025, focus on reducing stunting, wasting, anaemia, low birth weight, childhood overweight and increasing exclusive breastfeeding. These targets are crucial for driving global change.

In 2016, countries reiterated their commitments at the WHA and agreed to consider setting national, context-specific targets in these same areas. In order to measure progress toward ending malnutrition, this new scorecard makes an assessment on:

• The extent to which nutrition targets are included in national plans
• The quality of these targets
• The progress made towards achieving the global nutrition targets

This scorecard focuses on stunting, wasting, breastfeeding and aneamia in 50 high-burden countries. It shows the necessity of a strong political involvement at national level as well as at global level to address undernutrition durably and effectively.

Download the scorecard: English / Français