70% of the food on our plates comes from smallholder farmers. Yet only 7.5% of them receive technical assistance. In an environment of economic and climate shocks, this is endangering people’s livelihoods and the food systems they sustain. PERUSÁN – the SUN civil society alliance in Peru – is connecting farmers, nutritionists, communities and policymakers […]
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Civil Societies launch a common declaration at Nutrition for Growth Summit (N4G) in Paris 2025
In the margins of the N4G Summit, civil society organisations from across the world gathered for two days in the Civil Society Pavilion to confront pressing challenges in the nutrition landscape and shape a path forward. From these discussions, civil society united behind a set of key recommendations, with over a hundred organisations supporting this […]
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Navigating The Gender Nutrition Frontier
A Personal Reflection on a Training Experience in Vietnam by Kansiime Ruth Praise As I reflect on the transformative journey through “Closing the Gender Nutrition Gap” training organized by the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network (SUN CSN) in collaboration with Vietnam Civil Society Alliance (CSA), a spectrum of experiences, insights, and cultural immersions flood […]
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A Timely and Engaging Learning Experience:
A Pakistani Perspective by Kaleem Ullah
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Flooding in Pakistan: Fears for Nutrition and Food Security
Flooding in Pakistan: Fears for Nutrition and Food Security Devastating flooding in Pakistan has swept away crops and stockpiles and left large areas of farmland under water, deteriorating the precarious food and nutrition security in the country. The communities who were already living on the edge now need to cope with this sudden shock of […]
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SUN CSA Vietnam goes digital! How AI technology is helping to fight Code violators in Vietnam.
Our Civil Society Alliance in Vietnam, led by Alive & Thrive, and thanks to FHI Solutions’ Innovation Incubator, have teamed up with artificial intelligence (AI) company Hekate. Their aim? To try and end exploitative marketing of commercial milk formula and related products within the scope of the BMS code, on the digital frontline. Hekate, a […]
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Life under the Taliban: Obstacles faced in Afghanistan
Part 4: Being a child in Afghanistan Written by Zuhra Dadgar-Shafiq, Programme Director and Co-Founder of Action for Development who provide vital health and education services in Afghanistan to the most marginalized and vulnerable individuals through cost-effective, cascade-model projects that allow for community participation and empowerment. Afghanistan has been struggling with conflict for over 40 years. The situation […]
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Life under the Taliban: Obstacles faced in Afghanistan
Part 3: Rising food prices Written by Zuhra Dadgar-Shafiq, Programme Director and Co-Founder of Action for Development who provide vital health and education services in Afghanistan to the most marginalized and vulnerable individuals through cost-effective, cascade-model projects that allow for community participation and empowerment. Afghanistan has been struggling with conflict for over 40 years. The […]
ReadWorld Breastfeeding Week: Kyrgyzstan are on a mission to protect breastfeeding
In 2019, the Ministry of Health in Kyrgyzstan created a working group to revise the Law “On the Protection of Breastfeeding”, the working group included representatives of CSA SUN Kyrgyzstan, who contributed to the development of proposals for the draft of the Law. In the same year, UNICEF arranged a visit from David Clark, a […]
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World Breastfeeding Week: SUN CSA Cambodia investigators violators of the code
In Cambodia, the code for producers of breast milk substitutes was put in place in 2005. However, for the next decade there was little to no enforcement and when surveyed, only 27% of officials actually knew the details of the code. Despite widespread violations, there was no reporting and no enforcement recognition in place. To combat these […]
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In Cambodia, the code for producers of breast milk substitutes was put in place in 2005. However, for the next decade there was little to no enforcement and when surveyed, only 27% of officials actually knew the details of the code. Despite widespread violations, there was no reporting and no enforcement recognition in place. To combat these issues and to ensure that the code was properly enforced, SUN CSA Cambodia decided to take serious steps.
SUN CSA Cambodia outlined three main solutions to improve the usage of the code. These included improved mechanisms and accountability structures of those involved with enforcing the code including members of the ministries of health, information and commerce. They also improved the guidelines and Terms of Reference for enforcing the code and tested monitoring systems for six months and pilot tested things such as checklists and reporting systems. As part of these main solutions, SUN CSA Cambodia conducted media nutrition training focused on breastfeeding in order to create breastfeeding advocates. They also collected a petition of over 10,000 signatures urging the government to strengthen the enforcement of the code.
Perhaps the most significant piece of work SUN CSA Cambodia conducted however, was an investigation into violations of the code. They discovered 26 violations which they reported to the government of Cambodia. This has led to 17 companies being fined from 2,500,000 – 5,000, 000 riels each for repeated violation.
SUN CSA Cambodia has worked tirelessly over the years to see the code enforced and have contributed to several joint statements along with UNICEF and WHO to congratulate the crack down on violators. Along with this, their solutions-based work to improve the whole system of reporting will ensure a sustainable and long lasting improvement of BMS marketing and aim to give young children the best possible start in life for years to come.
