‘Nutritious’ Cabinet move on nutrition

William Chilufya speaking at a plenary session during the 2015 SUN Movement Global Gathering © SUN Movement Secretariat / Christine Campeau

About the author: William Chilufya is a civil society advocate for good nutrition and Country Coordinator for Zambia Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance (CSO-SUN). He is also a member of the SUN Movement Executive Committee.

Civil society advocacy work can be tiresome sometimes, there are times when you feel you are talking to yourself and no one is listening to the issues you are raising. Fortunately, there are the times of happiness and triumph, when you realise that all your hard work is paying off and you can say, “Oh my God, someone finally paid attention”!

The decision at the 23rd Cabinet Meeting held on October 19, 2015 at Government Complex to approve (in principle) the introduction of a bill in Parliament to amend the current National Food and Nutrition Commission Act No. 308 of 1967, gives us hope for Nutrition progress and reminds us of the importance of advocacy.

As Cabinet noted, the Act is outdated, therefore through the amendment, the Act will be strengthened to facilitate and strengthen the implementation of Government policy on Food and Nutrition.

The Act itself is hugely important for nutrition, as it is central to the governance of the nutrition sector in Zambia. It provides us the platform to do what is right for the nutrition of our people so that we do not continue to deny hundreds of children their fundamental birthright of access to good nutrition which is necessary to realise their potential to thrive, grow, and fully contribute to society. At CSO-SUN we believe strongly that a problem so fundamental needs governance that is commensurate with the gravity of the problem before us.

Zambia today faces the burden of malnutrition, stunting at 40 percent and obesity at 23 percent, as found in the Zambia Demographic Health Survey of 2013/14 (ZDHS).

A lot of key individuals in the nutrition sector have written on nutrition governance; one of those who truly inspires me is Shawn Baker, Nutrition Director of the Gates Foundation and chairman of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement Executive Committee where I am privileged to serve as a member.

Shawn compared the nutrition sector to other sectors that seem to have done comparatively well, wondering if there are things about nutrition that make it more complicated. He looked at examples where effective governance resulted in robust action, and observed that it is where there has been recognition of a ‘clear and present danger’ that decisive action has been taken.

For HIV, people around the globe were affected. Political leaders had family members dying, and activists all over the world were scaling the walls of parliaments.

As the world watched in horror at the tragic 2014 headlines surrounding Ebola, the entire world felt at risk. Unfortunately, despite the immense long-term damage it causes, malnutrition is largely a “hidden” problem. It is hidden because nutritional deficits are usually not visible. And it is hidden because the people most affected by undernutrition are those who have the least voice.

At the CSO-SUN Alliance, we are convinced that nutrition does indeed warrant governance, and that nutrition has specific and special governance needs that the revised NFNC Act must properly articulate.

One of the issues we are looking forward to in the Act that it will ensure effective high-level national coordination for nutrition. In Zambia, the responsibility for coordinating efforts to tackle malnutrition in Zambia are assigned to the National Food and Nutrition Commission (NFNC), an organ of the Ministry of Health. However, despite its efforts, NFNC’s placement gives it limited powers to convene and coordinate the different actors who need to work together to ensure adequate progress in tackling undernutrition.

As I have said before, malnutrition is a multi-faceted problem that requires coordinated action from multiple sectors of Government. Coordination has also to be ensured with the many private sector companies working directly and indirectly on issues of food and nutrition, as well as with the hundreds of civil society organizations (national and international) contributing to improving food security in Zambia.

At CSO-SUN we are advocating the revision of NFNC’s mandate so as to enhance its ability to coordinate the national nutrition agenda. This includes changing the placement of the NFNC within the Government structure, so that it has the authority to call all stakeholders to the table and hold them accountable to their responsibilities and commitments.

It also includes the need for a strong, multi-stakeholder NFNC Board that represents the various sectors contributing to the national nutrition agenda and oversees the work of the NFNC.

Although not tied to the updating of the Act, the current term of the NFNC Board is ending this year.  As this term comes to an end, the Minister of Health can enhance this positive momentum by appointing a new board that represents government’s multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral focus for nutrition, selecting individuals who have a proven track record for action.

This article was originally published in the Zambia Daily Mail – click here to see the original article here.