Country Profiles
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SUN Countries
Timor-Leste
Joined Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement
October 2020
National multi-stakeholder platform for nutrition
KONSSANTIL (National Council for Food Security, Sovereignty and Nutrition in Timor-Leste)
Sun Government Focal Point/Country Coordinator
Filipe da Costa, Executive Director of Stunting Unit, Prime Minister Office
Country nutrition status 2022
- Yes
- In process
- No
- Costed
- M&E framework
National multi-stakeholder platform (MSP)
Date established
2020
MSP annual action plan exists
National nutrition plan
Advocacy and communications framework/plan
Advocacy and communications framework/plan
Subnational nutrition coordination mechanism
Subnational MSPs exist
Subnational MSPs have annual action plans
SUN networks in-country presence
SUN Civil Society Network
SUN Business Network
UN-Nutrition
SUN Academy Network
SUN Donor Network
Others: e.g. youth, parliamentarian, media
Finance for nutrition
Resource mobilization strategy exists
Budget tracking exercise done this year
Funding gaps identified this year
Domestic expenditures on nutrition tracked
Country priorities 2022
Increase nutrition interventions; Improve school feeding; Scale up cash transfers for pregnant women and children; Strengthen multisectoral coordination; Develop a financial tracking system; Improve homestead food production
2022 Shared country good practice
Establishment of Stunting Unit under Prime Minister Office
Making a strong advocacy pitch to a decision-maker in country, e.g., Prime Minister
Commitment by the Prime Minister to combat malnutrition by establishing a stunting unit under the Office of the Prime Minister, approved by the Council of Ministers.
Progress towards SUN 3.0 Strategic Objectives (SO)
SO.1
Reducing stunting is one of most important development issues in Timor-Leste. The visit of the SUN Coordinator in December 2022 stimulated advocacy and action in the country, including the approval of a decree on the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, the allocation of $10 million to the Ministry of Health for nutrition-specific interventions, the establishment of a national directorate of nutrition, and the establishment of a stunting unit in the Office of the Prime Minister, supported by the SUN Movement Secretariat. Advocacy efforts are under way with other ministries to increase investments to scaling up nutrition-sensitive priorities identified in the Sustainable Development Goal 2 Consolidated National Action Plan for Nutrition and Food Security.
SO.2
The Sustainable Development Goal 2 Consolidated National Action Plan for Nutrition and Food Security is the national multisectoral action plan outlining priorities and targets. The National Health Sector Nutrition Strategic Plan, launched in 2022, is aligned with the health priorities and targets of the plan and sets the road map for the implementation and scaling up of essential nutrition-specific interventions. The process of establishing SUN Networks, including UN-Nutrition, the SUN Civil Society Network and SUN Donor Network, is under way.
SO.3
Strengthening the capacities of officials at national and subnational levels remains an ongoing priority. With support from development partners, this will be a central role of the newly formed national nutrition directorate. As an approach to capacity-building, the country aims to advocate for and facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experiences through peer-to-peer learning, both within the country and with other countries in the region.
SO.4
The approval of the establishment of a stunting unit in the Office of the Prime Minister was a prominent step in strengthening national and subnational nutrition governance and aligning the actions and resources of all stakeholders. The Government conducted an annual budget workshop to receive feedback from development partners on the nutrition budget. In addition, Timor-Leste is also part of a pilot to strengthen accountability using the SUN Mutual Accountability Framework.
