Quarterly Update: UN Network for SUN

This Quarterly Update shares the progress made by the UN Network for SUN from April – June 2016 which are strengthening their collective efforts in Scaling Up Nutrition.

UN Network for SUN documents, communications & materials

• The 2015 REACH Annual Report is now available on the REACH website.
• The UN Network for SUN/REACH Secretariat has circulated the draft of the UN Network for SUN/REACH 2.0 strategy with internal and external stakeholders for a final round of consultations. Current plans foresee the finalization of the strategy by the end of June.
• A series of country calls is planned for 27-29^th June with participation from UN Networks at country, regional and global levels. During the calls, the UN Network/REACH Secretariat will provide a brief presentation on the roles and expectations of UN Network for SUN at country level and the UN Network for SUN strategy. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.

UN Network key actions and supporting tools 

• Mozambique web article was prepared profiling REACH’s key role in supporting the ongoing Cost of Hunger Study in Mozambique in an effort to strengthen the investment case for nutrition.
• Guinea web article was prepared highlighting the high-level, multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder meeting that was held as part of ongoing efforts to develop an action plan for the National Programme to Accelerate Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture Development in Guinea (2016-2020).
• The following REACH materials are now available on the Knowledge Sharing Portal (KSP): updated templates for the Situation Analysis Dashboard and the Policy and Plan Overview and the English and French versions of updated guidance on the SUN-PMT (mapping) tool.
• UN Nutrition Inventory: preliminary findings from the Haiti Inventory were presented to the UN Network focal points (June) while updated findings from the Myanmar Inventory were jointly presented by the UNICEF UN Network Focal Point and the UN Network/REACH Secretariat at a UN retreat (31st May) which attracted 55 participants from various agencies.

UN participation at key meetings and events             

 April

• UNICEF organized a 3-day workshop on Unlocking Public Finance for Nutrition in Asia, with the support of the SUN Movement Secretariat. The workshop was held in Bangkok on 25-27^th April and attracted participation from eighteen countries, fostering dialogue and alignment among sectors on the costs of national nutrition plans and nutrition budgets among Asian countries in the SUN Movement.
• Likewise, UNICEF organized a regional workshop in Bangkok (April) on Infant and Young Child Feeding Advocacy: Strategy Updates in Selected Countries in the ASEAN Region and Beyond. The workshop built on ongoing work in the region to support country-led advocacy plans and their implementation, and provided a forum for sharing information and experiences (including new evidence e.g. The Lancet Breastfeeding Series).

May

• A side-event was held on the Zero Hunger by 2030: Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security for all at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul on 23^rd-24^th May, with high-level participation from José Graziano da Silva (Director-General, FAO), Ertharin Cousin (Executive Director, WFP) and H.E. Amira Gournass (Chair, CFS).

 June

• In June 2016, UNICEF published its Annual Results Report 2015 Nutrition, which summarizes how UNICEF contributed to results in Nutrition in 2015.  The report is part of UNICEF’s Annual Reporting on its Strategic Plan 2014-2017, examining progress towards advancing children’s rights and equity in the areas of health; HIV and AIDS; water, sanitation and hygiene; nutrition; education; child protection; social inclusion; humanitarian action; and gender impact of these accomplishments on the lives of children and families worldwide.
• A joint SCN and CFS event on Trade and Nutrition: Opportunities and Risks was held in Rome on 10^th June, with a view to sharing insights from various perspectives and experiences on the linkages between trade and nutrition. Additional information, including the discussion paper are available on the SCN website.
• A symposium on Learning from the traditional Japanese Diet “Washoku” and the Mediterranean Diet to Promote Healthy Diets and Food System took place on 16^th June in Rome. The symposium was organized by FAO in collaboration with Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and was an opportunity to share knowledge and experiences on healthy diets and food systems.
• A launch workshop of a partnership between WFP and IFPRI on nutrition-sensitive programming is being held on 23^rd The workshop will address issues related to technical support and evidence building.

Other key UN developments

• WHO has initiated an online consultation, with a view to identifying priority questions for revising WHO haemoglobin concentrations for the diagnosis of anaemia and assessment of severity. The deadline for inputs is 15^th
• The UN General Assembly passed a UN resolution, which proclaims 2016 through 2025 as A Decade of Action on Nutrition. Led by FAO and WHO in collaboration with IFAD, UNICEF and WFP, the effort also engages related coordination mechanisms (e.g. UNSCN) and multi-stakeholder platforms (e.g. CFS), with a view to intensifying action to end hunger and eradicate malnutrition worldwide, and ensuring universal access to healthier and more sustainable diets.
• WHO, UNICEF and IBFAN released a joint report (May 2016) on the Marketing of breast-milk substitutes: National implementation of the international code: Status Report 2016, which highlights the status of legislation to protect breastfeeding in 194 countries. Among the main findings of report, 135 countries were found to have some legal measure in place related to the Code (up from 103 in 2011) and 39 countries have laws that enact all of the provisions of the Code (a slight increase from 37 in 2011).
• In June 2016, UNICEF held its annual internal Global Network Meeting bringing together Regional Advisors, the Global Cluster Coordinator and the Nutrition Section, Programme Division to strategise and plan joint activities for 2016/2017. This year, the meeting had joint sessions with UNICEF’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and Health sector colleagues, to strengthen cross-sectoral programming.
• UNICEF has initiated the process of preparing for its next Strategic Plan 2018-2021.  This multistep process will involve a series of consultations to review results and lessons from UNICEF’s current plan, a series of situation assessments, and a thorough consultative process with communities, countries, UNICEF staff and the Member States of the Executive Board.  This process will ensure that UNICEF’s remains well-positioned to protect and promote the rights of every child, especially the most disadvantaged in the SDG era.
• UNICEF’s Regional Office for South Asia, working with several partners, finalized a special issue in the Maternal and Child Nutrition journal entitled “Stop Stunting in South Asia. Improving Child Feeding, Women’s Nutrition and Household Sanitation”. The issue presents the rationale for investing in these priority areas to prevent child stunting in this region.
• FAO and the University of Oxford have issued a new publication, Plates, pyramids, planet, which reviewed national food-based dietary guidelines and how they can steer dietary patterns that are both healthy and sustainable.