SUN Countries respond to a “Call of Interest” to accelerate efforts on budget analysis

During the 17th SUN Country Network Conference Call held from the 26^th January until 2^nd February 2015, a thematic discussion was held on how to accelerate SUN Country efforts to report on nutrition-relevant budget allocation. This call focused on the ability for countries to respond to a “Call of Interest” to accelerate their efforts to report on nutrition-relevant budget allocations (and spending if available) looking at historical changes over time. Validated figures and trends, shared by the SUN Focal Points on behalf of the country participants, will feed into the 2015 SUN Movement Annual Progress Report and into the 2015 Global Nutrition Report (possibly including progress on N4G financial commitments)

A full summary of the call will be available here

Response to the “Call of Interest”

SUN countries responded positively to the Call of Interest during the conference call and have the opportunity to receive remote support from the SUN Movement Secretariat and those involved with the Community of Practice on “Planning, costing, implementing and financing multi-sectoral actions for improved nutrition”.

Support will be provide as countries undertake data-gathering exercises on nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive budget allocations across relevant sectors using a methodology based on nationally agreed parameter and informed by global recommendations[1]

To facilitate the process, countries will be asked to share their experience to date with the gathering and reporting of data on nutrition-relevant budget allocation. Countries have been provided with a reporting template, keyword guidance and the list of nutrition relevant outcomes based on the SUN Donor Network Methodology.

Stages of progress have been identified as follows

1. Countries who have not started nutrition spending analysis will be given the opportunity to begin analysis using the 3-STEP approach.
2. Countries are who are in the process of gathering data will be offered support to accelerate the process.
3. Countries who already have data and trends on budget allocation and spending will be invited to share their experience, methodology and data sources for learning across the SUN Movement.

Proposed dates

[1] For nutrition-specific interventions (10 high-impact interventions): use of the National Health Accounts (or an expanded version); for nutrition-sensitive approaches use of a three-step approach to identify, classify and weight budget allocations in the national budgets (methodology aligned with the one developed by the Donor Network).