Update on Nutrition Security Autumn 2014

In October and November 2014 a number of relevant key global events on nutrition security take place. In mid-October, the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), the UN intergovernmental forum for review and follow-up of policies concerning world food security, met in Rome with nutrition security as an import theme on the agenda. Also the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), a global partner meeting of the Scaling Up Nutrition movement, and the Launch of the Global Nutrition Report are upcoming. This article gives some background about these events in chronological order and provides links to relevant documents.

The Food & Business Knowledge Platform is considering organizing a Dutch debriefing and discussion session on the Rome meeting’s outcomes in December 2014, with and for key Dutch actors interested in nutrition security.

ICN2 Open-Ended Working Group

Following a series of intense negotiations in the ICN2 Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on  October 12, representatives of world food organization FAO and WHO member countries reached consensus on a political declaration and a voluntary Framework For Action (FFA), to be endorsed at ICN2. The FFA includes recommendations on the enabling policy framework for nutrition action, the need for sustainable food systems, the role of nutrition education, social protection and many more elements to be implemented over a ten-year time frame (2016-2025). The outcomes were contested in a press release by the Civil Society Organizations delegation to the OEWG, whose comments included that civil society has not been taken seriously into account so far.

Committee on World Food Security annual plenary session

The Committee on World Food Security endorsed the third version of the Global Strategic Framework for Food security and Nutrition during its annual plenary session. Its purpose is to improve coordination and guide synchronized action of a wide range of stakeholders in support of global, regional and country‐led actions to prevent future food crises, eliminate hunger and ensure food security and nutrition for all. It also approved the Principles for responsible agriculture and food investments.

SUN Movement Global Gathering

The SUN Movement held its yearly High-Level Meeting and a series of other gatherings in New York during the UN General Assembly in September, to increase political attention to the issue of nutrition and encourage greater support for the efforts of SUN countries and the Movement.

SUN countries and stakeholder groups have, since 2013, sought to also create space for more in-depth, structured interaction and started organizing SUN Movement Global Gathering meetings. This workshop-style event aims to solve practical bottlenecks and achieve concrete results. The (invited) participants include SUN government focal points, two additional representatives from each country and a small group of nominated representatives of the four SUN Networks (United Nations, Donors, Civil Society and Business).

This year the Global Gathering will take place on 16-18 November in advance of ICN2 in Rome (see below). It will include a review of the SUN Movement 2014 progress report and the initial findings of the Independent Comprehensive Evaluation (ICE) of SUN. This Evaluation process is of relevance for all nutrition stakeholders, as it will include a comprehensive mapping of the global nutrition landscape. Sessions on the various Communities of Practice will be led by SUN Countries with the aim of sharing their learning, challenges and needs as well as breakout sessions led by the four supporting Networks of the SUN Movement. Please find here the Global Gathering 2014 Concept Note.

Second International Conference on Nutrition 

The ICN2 Political Declaration and the Framework for Action will be adopted at the Second International Conference on Nutrition to be held at the FAO Headquarters in Rome from 19-21 November. This high-level intergovernmental meeting is jointly organized by FAO and WHO. The political declaration to be endorsed at the conference and the related Framework For Action are available online (see: Rome Declaration on Nutrition and Framework for Action).

In the preparatory process, several consultation rounds took place for member states and other stakeholders. A web consultation on the ICN2 draft Framework for Action took place in July-August 2014, the results of which have been summarized in a short document. Also, an online consultation took place on one of the earlier versions of the draft Political Declaration, which resulted in the following comments. Among the positive reactions to the draft FFA, the comprehensive scope of the document was welcomed. For many respondents, however, the draft Framework was too broad in scope and lacked clarity on how it relates to the many global initiatives, arrangements, platforms and action plans that already exist.

Global Nutrition Report launch

The Global Nutrition Report will be launched during ICN2. This Report is one outcome of the Nutrition for Growth Summit held in London in 2013. The authors are a group of stakeholders, chaired by representatives of the Governments of Malawi and the UK, working to convene, connect and strengthen existing processes for reporting on nutrition. Although recognizing that there is a lot of invaluable information on nutrition available, it is too fragmented and some critical knowledge and information gaps exist. The Global Nutrition Report will be comprehensive, fill the data gaps and, in addition to statistics, it will include the stories behind nutrition issues.

In addition to the Rome launch, several satellite launch events are planned for early 2015 in Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia and Senegal. The Report hopes to serve as an additional stimulus to nutrition-relevant actions in each of these countries by contributing to country-led efforts to strengthen accountability, share learning about what is working and highlight bottlenecks to progress and how they may be overcome.

Details on the Global Nutrition Report and on launch dates and partners can be found here and on twitter using the hashtag #NutritionReport.