Climate change, food and nutrition policies in Uganda: Are they gender- and nutrition-sensitive?
This brief (PDF) by CCAFS-CGIAR draws attention to some gaps in the mainstreaming of gender and nutrition in climate change, and food and nutrition policy documents, which may affect the effective implementation of nutrition-focused actions and the realization of improved nutrition outcomes. Over 70 percent of Uganda’s population depends on rain-fed agriculture, making it highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. Global statistics reveal rising levels of hunger and undernourishment among Uganda’s population and increasing obesity among adults. Gender and nutrition perspectives are not consistently mainstreamed across critical sections of climate change, food and nutrition policy documents under Uganda’s multi-sectoral approach. Gaps exist in the hierarchy of guiding documents relating to climate change, food and nutrition. Relevant sectors should systematically develop policies, implementation strategies, guidelines, action plans and budgets to ensure effective implementation of interventions in these areas by actors at different levels of government. There is a need to mainstream gender and nutrition across all sections of climate change, food and nutrition policy documents (including situation analysis; setting of goals; implementation arrangements; and monitoring and evaluation sections) while ensuring alignment with the national vision, goals, objectives and targets. Under the multi-sectoral approach, regular joint sector performance reviews of climate change, food and nutrition actions should be undertaken to reduce duplication of efforts, strengthen cross-sectoral synergies and alignment to the national vision, goals and targets. The brief proposed three recommendations: 1) Relevant sectors should align their provisions for gender and nutrition integration in policy documents with the national objectives, goals and targets. 2) Sector ministries, departments and agencies should systemetically mainstream gender and nutritin throughout sections of the national guiding documents by stating explicit commitments that address gender and nutrition concerns. 3) The offices mandated with coordination, monitoring and evaluation of climate change and nutrition actions across sectors should regularly hold joint performance reviews.
A related blog of the study can be found here.