UNICEFCore Commitments for Children

in Emergencies: Nutrition

Core Commitments for Children

in Emergencies: Nutrition

• Through its Core Commitments for Children, UNICEF works to increase young child survival during complex emergencies and natural disasters by supporting access to essential and quality nutrition services during the initial response phase and beyond.

• UNICEF supports interventions that build on local capacity and protect existing positive nutrition practices wherever possible to enable communities to cope with subsequent shocks.

• UNICEF supports effective nutrition outcomes in emergencies through the following 5 essential humanitarian nutrition interventions:

• Assessment, Surveillance, Monitoring and Analysis

• Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) • Vitamin A Supplementation • Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation • Management of Severe Acute Undernutrition

Assessment, Surveillance, Monitoring and Analysis(1) input into multi-sectoral rapid

assessments;

(2) support for implementation of nutrition surveys for the analysis of undernutrition prevalence and vulnerability; and

(3) establishment and strengthening of systems for ongoing nutritional surveillance and monitoring

Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF)

• promotion and protection of:

(1) early initiation of breastfeeding; (2) exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6

months of life;(3) continued breastfeeding from 6 to 24 m

and;(4) appropriate complementary feeding from

6 months onwards

Vitamin A Supplementation

Provision of high dose vitamin A supplements for children aged 6 to 59 months in conjunction with measles vaccinations

Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation

• provision of multiple micronutrient supplements to prevent and control micronutrient deficiencies among pregnant and lactating women and children aged 6 to 59 months

Management of Severe Acute Undernutrition

• Actions supported by UNICEF for this essential humanitarian nutrition intervention include both inpatient and community-based components of therapeutic feeding programmes for severe acute undernutrition.

To promote access to essential and quality nutritional services, UNICEF, in collaboration with partners and based on rapid assessments will:

First six to eight weeks

•Provide child and maternal feeding: support infant and young child feeding and therapeutic and supplementary feeding programmes with World Food Programme and NGO partners.•Introduce nutritional monitoring and surveillance.•Provide other emergency supplies such as blankets, tarpaulins and cooking sets.

Beyond initial response

Support the establishment of essential health-care services by providing outreach services and home-based management of childhood illnesses Support infant and young child feeding, complementary feeding and, when necessary, support therapeutic and supplementary feeding programmes with WFP and NGO partners.Provide health and nutrition education, including messages on the importance of breastfeeding and safe motherhood practices.

• In 2005, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) agreed to implement a 'cluster approach' to improve the predictability and quality of humanitarian response in non-refugee settings. UNICEF has agreed globally to lead the clusters for nutrition, water and sanitation, common data services, and education, while continuing strong field work in health and child protection. Combined with our Core Commitments for Children in Emergencies (CCCs), the cluster lead arrangement implies significant strengthening of our coordination and field capacity to deliver humanitarian assistance more effectively.