Roles of the Champions in Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) in the SUN countries

Ambarka Hassane Youssoufane is the Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN) knowledge management specialist in West and Central Africa. He is based in Dakar, Senegal. He has years of experience with roles in governmental and civil society authorities in Niger.

The nutrition Champions play a dominant role in Scaling Up Nutrition in the SUN countries. This was one of the points arising from the twenty-third round of SUN country teleconferences. This round, which brought together all of the SUN countries in groups of four to five countries from 9 to 13 May 2016, addressed the topic: Strengthening and supporting the political commitment for measures promoting nutrition.

The nutrition Champions are well known political, sporting and cultural figures, or others recognized for their leadership and willingness to support Scaling Up Nutrition in their country, or indeed beyond its borders. The nutrition Champions are torch bearers for nutrition whose voices and reputations play a dominant role in addressing nutrition at the highest political level.

In Benin, the Secretary-General of the Presidency, a nutrition Champion, played a front-line role in advocating for nutrition financing by participating in the budget session of the Finance Ministry. She was also called upon to chair a number of sessions of the CAP. The action of the Secretary-General gave nutrition a voice in Benin and granted it all of the attention it deserved.

nutrition Champions are often parliamentarians whose actions support the creation of laws and the vote for the State budget.

In Burkina Faso, nutrition stakeholders received the support of the President of the National Assembly in scaling up nutrition actions in this country. This was possible through the arrival of a nutrition professional at the Parliamentary Assembly as a serving member of parliament. “It has been thanks to the efforts of this parliamentarian, who is with us today, that we have been able to establish the connection with the President of the National Assembly to advocate for nutrition” said SUN Focal Point Mrs Bertine Ouaro during this telephone interview. This new proximity to the parliament and its President has made it possible to set up a parliamentary network for nutrition, that will be the entry point for nutrition advocacy in the new Parliamentary Assembly. In particular, this network could support advocacy in favour of a budget line for nutrition and/or the creation of various laws relating to nutrition, or even raise institutional support for nutrition to a higher administrative level.

In certain countries such as Chad or Mozambique, there are a number of nutrition champions who are involved in different ways. In Mozambique, nutrition Champions notably include: the Graça Machel foundation, civil society leaders, religious leaders, ex-Ministers of Agriculture and Health, etc. All these figures are fully involved in advocating for nutrition through their multiple public interventions. In Chad, there are political Champions, notably ex- or serving Ministers and sectoral Champions active in their respective areas: agriculture, livestock husbandry education, information, etc.

In Kenya, and in other countries, the first lady has distinguished herself as a nutrition Champion. Moreover, in this capacity, on 14 June last year, HE Mrs Jomo Kenyatta presided over the official launch of the Global Nutrition Report in Nairobi, Kenya, where she launched an appeal for more investment and legislation to improve nutrition and overcome obstacles to breastfeeding.

“The Global Nutrition Report recommends that we all renew our commitments to nutrition with one common fundamental goal: a world in which everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, sex or social class, can access the resources that they need in order to live happily and in good health. The most basic of these resources is food. Fortunately, empowering communities to feed themselves is also one of the first steps towards a stronger, richer and more democratic world. We all want such a world and we must all work towards achieving it. This report suggests where and how we can all contribute to this goal”.

The Champions of nutrition are nominated by the nutritionist community, especially through the use of personal contacts, which subsequently make it possible to formalize the role of Champion in the promotion of nutrition.