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On 27 April 2017, the Government of Kenya unveiled a new 6-year partnership between the Ministry of Health and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) as well as private sector partners to strengthen and address gaps in food fortification. The project, funded by the European Union, focuses on improving the capacity of manufacturers to fortify maize flour and other staples consumed by poor households where the levels of malnutrition are higher.

The 70th World Health Assembly (WHA) will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, 22-31 May 2017. This decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO) determines the policies of WHO and approves the programme budget. The WHA has endorsed the six global targets for improving maternal, infant and young child nutrition, and the WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013-2020.

A 2017 update to The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes Frequently Asked Questions has been shared by the World Health Organization. The booklet provides easy-to-read detailed information on specific questions related to the Code. It is intended for policy-makers, health workers and others concerned with the Code, as well as the general publ

On 12 April 2017, a new report was published by the World Health Organization (WHO) on behalf of UN-Water – the United Nations inter-agency coordination mechanism for all freshwater-related issues, including sanitation. According to the UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) 2017 report, countries have increased their budgets for water, sanitation and hygiene at an annual average rate of 4.9% over the last three years. Yet, 80% of countries report that water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) financing is still insufficient to meet nationally-defined targets for WASH services.

In April 2017, the United Nations Standing Committee on Nutrition launched a new discussion paper on, “By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition and leave no one behind”. The paper discusses the centrality of nutrition in the current sustainable development agenda. It provides an overview of the numerous and inter-related nutrition targets that have been agreed upon by intergovernmental bodies, placing these targets in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition.

Healthphone has developed a new set of Mobile apps in partnership with The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and Hyderabad, a research and development organization under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India.

It’s a month now since I completed the African Nutrition Leadership Programme (ANLP) at Elgro River Lodge in Potchefstroom, South Africa. It’s an intense 10 days of learning sessions, team activities and responsibilities that stretch the very limits of an individual in the best possible way. The analogy that comes to mind is “gold tried by fire”. Yes, the more I think about it, that analogy of purifying gold in intense fire sums up my ANLP experience because I really emerged a shining better, bright and vibrant leader!

On 30 March 2017, the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) announced that seven countries will receive grants totaling $160 million. The new grants – to Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Haiti, Myanmar, Nepal, Rwanda, and Tanzania – will help each country increase food security, raise rural incomes, and reduce poverty.

In April 2017, a Global Nutrition Report (GNR) launch event was held in Japan to bring together high-level decision makers for nutrition and to continue follow up of the Nutrition for Growth Summit in London 2013. Japan is one of the world’s key providers of Official Development Assistance (ODA), including for nutrition and will host the 2020 Nutrition for Growth event.

On 22 April 2017, global leaders came together to make the investment case for nutrition at the, “Spotlight on Nutrition: Unlocking human Potential and Economic Growth” event, co-hosted by the World Bank and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID). The event included a panel of ministers and leaders, laying out how their countries and organisations plan to scale-up action on nutrition. The event was a follow up to the October 2016 Human Capital Summit on the importance of nutrition as an investment to unlock human capital and economic prosperity.

This Quarterly Update shares the progress made by the UN Network for SUN from January to March 2017 in accelerating the scale-up of efforts to improve nutrition.

On 25 April 2017, a new platform to engage the private sector on nutrition was launched in Madagascar. The new platform titled, “Anjaramasoandro”, brought together 10 founding member companies to the National Nutrition Office in Anosy. The establishment of the platform demonstrates the commitment of businesses in Madagascar to join the fight against malnutrition, aligning efforts behind government priorities.

On 19 April 2017, during a visit from the World Food Programme Regional Director for Central and West Africa Abdou Dieng President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf reaffirmed support for the ongoing government-led zero hunger strategic review exercise and the school feeding (also known as home-grown school feeding) programme.

Today, 3 May 2017, is an occasion to celebrate World Press Freedom Day, to recognise the importance of free, independent and quality journalism that can thrive when information is available to all without restrictions. Freedom of expression and freedom of information are fundamental rights and essential for sustainable development. The SUN Movement recognises that malnutrition has multiple causes and uniting the efforts of multiple sectors and stakeholders is fundamental to addressing the challenge, including the media.

Feature: The Inter-Parliamentarian Union (IPU) brought together over 1,000 delegates for the 136th IPU General Assembly under the theme “Redressing inequalities: Delivering on dignity and well-being for all”. ENGLISH

From 5-7 April 2017, various nutrition champions across Nepal came together to engage on nutrition during a visit from SUN Movement Coordinator and UN Assistant Secretary-General, Gerda Verburg.

From 9 to 12 April 2017, SUN Movement Coordinator and Assistant Secretary-General, Ms Gerda Verburg, joined high level decision makers in Pakistan to reflect on progress made and the road ahead in scaling up nutrition. The schedule encompassed a wide range of meetings and activities including workshops, ministerial meetings and a television talk show.

On May 3, 2017 at the Embrapa HQ, Brasilia, the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, in partnership with Embrapa, has organised a high-level event that brings together the research community and policy-makers to identify policies and actions of agricultural research to improve diet quality, nutrition and health outcomes in Brazil.

CHILDHOOD stunting is the physical manifestation of profound mental and developmental delays in growth. Technically, it is defined as the height for a child’s age below the fifth percentile on a reference growth curve. However, it can blight the future of a child as it lowers educational attainment and job earnings. Stunting affects a massive percentage of the world’s youth: nearly half of all children are stunted in Pakistan. Apart from particularly impaired cognitive development, stunting has staggering implications in other arenas; for instance, the GDP of countries is measurably lower.

STUNTING in Pakistan is a tragedy of epic proportions; a tragedy that we can, and must, overcome. Nearly half of Pakistan’s children — 44pc — suffer from stunted growth (National Nutrition Survey 2011). This is the third highest number of stunted children in the world.