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A validation workshop for the Multisectoral Strategic Nutrition Plan (PSMN) 2016-2020, led by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, took place in Burkina Faso on 10-11 May 2017. The workshop was attended by around 60 delegates from key sectors (health, food security, social protection, education, WASH, gender, trade and economy), regional directorates and technical and financial partners including the UN/REACH global network and various SUN Movement networks.

On 11 May 2017, the government of Madagascar launched the third National Nutrition Action Plan (PNAN III) at a grand ceremony with President Hery Rajaonarimampianina. This plan takes on the recommendations of an evaluation undertaken following PNAN II, including an increased focus on multi-sectoral coordination and wider coverage – targeting 80% of those affected by malnutrition across the country.

From 7-8 May 2017, the SUN Movement Coordinator along with a delegation from the SUN Movement Secretariat visited Madagascar to reflect on progress made and the road ahead in the fight against malnutrition. Madagascar has one of the highest rates of childhood stunting in the world – Over half of children are chronically malnourished. To fight against this, Madagascar has had a long-standing high level commitment to address malnutrition and is an early-riser in the SUN Movement, joining 28 February 2012 with a letter of commitment from Jean François, the National Coordinator for the Office of National Nutrition at the time.

From 2 to 6 May 2017, SUN Movement Coordinator Gerda Verburg and a delegation from the SUN Movement Secretariat participated in a series of high level meetings to support Mozambique’s nutrition agenda. According to the Technical Secretariat for Nutritional Security (SETSAN), more than two out of five children under five living in Mozambique suffer from chronic malnutrition.

Are you looking for a new challenge? Do you want to work in a fast-paced, continuously evolving environment? Join us! The SUN Movement Secretariat is looking for three individuals to join their dynamic team based in Geneva, Switzerland.

From 30 April to 2 May 2017, SUN Movement Coordinator Gerda Verburg visited high level leaders in Lesotho to reflect on progress made and priorities for nutrition in coming months. As Lesotho heads into elections, the meetings were at an opportune moment to ensure continued high level commitment with the incoming government. The visit follows the launch of three key milestones in 2016 – the launch of the new Food and Nutrition Policy, the Cost of Hunger in Lesotho study and the launch of Lesotho’s Scaling Up Nutrition Movement.

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.