The SUN Nutrition Hub at the WHA – A space for dialogue and learning for greater impact at country level

The Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Secretariat, together with SUN Movement Networks and multiple partners, hosted the first ever SUN Nutrition Hub in Villa Bocage, Palais des Nations, during the World Health Assembly (WHA). The Nutrition Hub provided a space for SUN country representatives and diverse stakeholders attending the WHA to come together to share their experience, discuss critical nutrition issues and to facilitate mutual learning for increased impact at country level.

Around 20 different events were held throughout the week, ranging from innovative, highly interactive public events which were livestreamed to allow for wide participation and uptake, to smaller working sessions giving SUN Country stakeholders an opportunity to exchange with each other and with the SUN Movement Secretariat and SUN Networks. Beyond the events, the Nutrition Hub provided ample opportunities for networking and informal exchange between nutrition stakeholders attending WHA.

“Collaboration around food fortification can be an entry point for building relationships, collaboration & trust between government, private sector & other stakeholders for further collaboration to improve #nutrition” #NutritionHubSUN #WHA71 pic.twitter.com/Dq9vlaxGeG

— Marie Durling (@MarieDurling) May 24, 2018

The unique interactive dialogue format, and the diverse multi-stakeholder speakers and participants – which included Ministers of Health, SUN Government Focal Points and other government delegates, representatives from United Nations, academia, civil society, media and the private sector as well as SUN Lead Group members such as Gunhild Stordalen, Sania Nishtar and David Nabarro  – allowed for rich and constructive discussions identifying good practice, opportunities, challenges and innovative solutions to key nutrition issues relating to the multiple forms of malnutrition, financing, nutrition in fragile and conflict affected contexts, promotion and protection of breastfeeding, gender equality and women’s empowerment, multi-stakeholder collaboration, nutrition for adolescent girls and food systems.

Bridging the #humanitarian-development nexus means supporting good nutrition in #fragile states|#SunNutritionHub @RachelJ_Scott #WHA71 pic.twitter.com/UK3Z9zQkqa

— Brenda M Killen (@bmnellik) May 22, 2018

More information

• Watch the livestreamed events
• UN Network Secretariat leads two events at the SUN Nutrition Hub with a focus on action
•  Facebook live event on gender equality and nutrition with Katja Iversen, CEO of Women Deliver & Gerda Verburg, SUN Movement Coordinator
• More information about the 2018 SUN Nutrition Hub: http://bit.ly/nutritionhubsun