Strengthening the capacities of SUN Countries to Scale Up Nutrition

through Learning Routes

Giulia Pedone, PROCASUR, London February 10, 2016

A pilot programme in Peru and Senegal

Background: Why SUN and PROCASUR, and why Learning Routes?

✓ Foster learning among peers;✓ Strengthen the networking among SUN countries at

national, regional and international level;✓ Hands-on methods and tools tailored to respond to

specific knowledge needs;✓ Easy to follow-up on impacts through Innovation Plans

The Learning Route in Senegal

∗ Know the Needs and the Offer available: ✓ Map SUN member countries ́specific thematic interests

for learning and sharing activities (Survey)✓ Selection of 12 Countries for the Pilot, 2 of them being the

Hosts ∗ Set-up Clear Learning Objectives ∗ Select the Countries and the right people (criteria)

Design and Preparation

Participating Countries

SENEGALBenin, Burundi, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Niger,

Sierra Leone, Peru

PERUEl Salvador,

Guatemala, Lao PDR, Madagascar,

Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Senegal

★ 40 people from 14 SUN member countries★ National Governments (55%), CSOs (43%)

and private sector (2%)★ 63% women★ Partners: Fight Against Malnutrition Unit

(Senegal), Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion (Peru)

★ Funding: SUN Movement Multi Partner Trust Fund

∗Institutional Coordination, inter-sectorial and inter-governmental coordination btw State and CS∗Decentralised Approach to Nutrition, involving LGA and their communities in the development of nutrition oriented interventions∗Financial Management and Fundraising mechanisms, with attention to performance-based budgeting and incentive funds ∗Communication strategies, promoting changes in population’s behaviours

Thematic Areas

Lessons Learned

Key issues in the fight against CCM:1.Need for political will and commitment at the highest level to promote state policies in favour of nutrition both at central and local level; 2.Creation of a government agency multi-sectorial and inter-governmental strongly rooted in state institutions, responsible for coordinating policies on nutrition, including the participation of civil society and the private sector; 3.Allocation of a specific budget to implement plans, programmes and projects within the framework of the national nutrition policy; 4.Capacity building and participation of civil society as well as ownership of the nutrition interventions by local communities.

Latin America ∗Strengthen capacities and knowledge of local stakeholders on nutrition and Anemia. ∗Promote the commitment of local authorities on the fight against child malnutrition.∗Consolidate multi-sectorial spaces for networking amongst civil society organizations.

West Africa

∗Strengthen the involvement of social and political stakeholders on nutrition issues at local level∗Capacity building of key actors at community level to improve child nutrition (grandmothers, pregnant women).∗Securing local budget for nutrition to be included in local development plans. ∗Promote the commitment of local authorities on the importance of nutrition.∗Strengthen the organizations responsible for the coordination of policies on nutrition and food security at local level. ∗Strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems of implemented actions.

East Africa∗Strengthen the involvement of social and political stakeholders on nutrition issues at local level.∗Develop a multi-actors strategy, with emphasis on civil society participation.∗Strengthen financial capacities of entities in charge of coordination.∗Have a nutrition policy and an implementation plan.∗Improve articulation of policies and multi-sectorial coordination.

Asia∗Organize multi-sectorial spaces for the articulation and implementation of initiatives.∗Define and articulate policies addressing nutrition at national level.

Country Action Plans

∗ Technical Evaluation of the Plans + Peer-to-Peer crossed review by SUN Countries∗ Dissemination of the Plans ∗ Communication Strategies (using

video, VLC, publications)∗ Final Survey

Follow-Up & Achievements

94% of participants considered that

their learning expectations have

been achieved

Useful learning platform to strengthen

capacities to scale-up nutrition

90%Improved networking among SUN

member countries90%

Action Plans are hands-on tools easy to follow

84%

Challenges

∗ Some Action Plans exaggerate their scope, too ambitious∗ Difficult to implement the innovations due to lack of specific

budget allocated (for Government especially budget allocation is not flexible)∗ Dialogue between CS and Governments not sustained after the

LR (Gov’ is too busy)∗ Need to a strong M&E to follow up on the Action Plans and their

impacts and to focused communication strategy to disseminate the results (strengthen the follow-up phase)∗ Key role of SUN in reinforcing and building upon the

achievements

How can we work together?

○ How can the LR process embed into already existing learning exchanges among SUN countries and improve networking?

○ What are the conditions for these exchanges and learning being sustainable over time within the SUN network?

○ Which kind of approaches and tools would be necessary to reinforce to serve these purposes?

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THANK YOU!!!!