CSONA, the SUN civil society alliance in Malawi, is proving that advocacy works. By partnering with parliamentary nutrition champions and the SUN Civil Society Network, they’ve fought to secure a bigger national nutrition budget – and to make sure those resources actually reach the districts that need them most. But this isn’t just a story about politics and budgets; it’s about what happens when funding reaches communities.
 
In one school, a teacher sums it up perfectly: “Because when I have healthy kids, my teaching will be more effective.” From parliament to classroom, this is what change looks like.

In Viet Nam, women play a central role in agriculture, food systems and community life. In many contexts, they are not only producers, but also decision-makers and drivers of change. Yet, despite this strong participation, gaps in nutrition, health and access to resources persist – particularly as climate shocks place increasing pressure on livelihoods and food systems.

This video shows how civil society in Viet Nam is addressing these interconnected challenges through locally led solutions, driven by women: improving diets, strengthening maternal and child nutrition, and building more resilient food systems. These approaches are also informing action beyond Viet Nam through the SUN Civil Society Network’s flagship peer-to-peer learning programme.

When young people are equipped with the right tools and support, they become powerful forces for change.

In Nigeria, over 150 youth advocates trained through the SUN Civil Society Youth Network are leading community dialogues, listening to the most marginalised voices, and turning grassroots evidence into real policy recommendations. Coordinated through Nigeria’s multi-stakeholder platform – bringing together government, civil society, the UN and donors – this work is helping to build a more nutrition-secure future for one of the world’s youngest populations.

In this video we hear from members of CS-SUNN, the SUN civil society alliance in Nigeria, and follow Finian Ali, SUN CSN Youth Coordinator, as he meets with members of the community.

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 to tackle food insecurity from every angle. From a citizen-led observatory tracking government spending on nutrition, to hands-on workshops helping new mothers protect their children from stunting and anaemia, this work is already making a measurable difference. Child stunting fell from 27.8% to 12.2% between 2005 and 2019.
 
This video explores how farmers, civil society and government are working together to build fairer, healthier food systems for everyone.

The Costa Rica Youth and Climate Change Network Association, the World Food Forum Costa Rica National Youth Chapter, and the SUN Civil Society Alliance Costa Rica—with the participation of UCIMED’s Faculty of Nutrition—joined forces to launch «Sembrando Incidencia» –  a project that strengthens sustainable production, nutrition education, and youth participation in rural schools. This strategic partnership brings together academia, civil society, and youth leadership to build a replicable model connecting nutrition, food systems, and community decision-making, starting in Santa Bárbara de Heredia. Through hands-on workshops, community dialogues, and an agroecological garden, students from nutrition, agricultural sciences, and related fields will support students from rural technical high schools in a process that generates evidence, builds capacity, and brings their voices into decision-making spaces. Because young people do more than just participate: they lead, transform, and drive change! 

On behalf of the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network (SUN CSN) Secretariat, we invite you to apply for the SUN Movement Executive Committee (ExCom).

A call for nominations is open from 15 June to 15 July 2026 to identify successors to the 13 ExCom members whose two-year mandates conclude in July 2026.

The ExCom acts on behalf of the Lead Group to oversee the Movement’s strategy and governance. Bridging global coordination and country-level action, it fosters stakeholder collaboration, champions national leadership, and drives resource mobilisation in support of country nutrition priorities.

How to apply?

•  For the civil society seat (1): As the SUN CSN Secretariat, we will put forward up to 3 candidates to fill this seat.
  • The current steering group chair (Danish), vice-chair (Joanne) and outgoing ExCom representative (Christine), will act as a reviewing committee to go through applications according to the selection criteria and the additional important network criteria below: 
    • an active member of the SUN CSN with a strong understanding of the Network;
    • able to effectively represent SUN CSN 4.0 strategic priorities and positions at the SUN ExCom and other high-level fora; and
    • have demonstrated experience in nutrition advocacy, capacity-strengthening, collaboration and influencing.
  • Please send us by 10 July:
    • Max. 2-page CV
    • Cover letter demonstrating your interest and suitability for the role, against the above selection criteria 
    • Letter of endorsement from your stakeholder group, government or organisation, confirming your mandate and and support to represent the civil society constituency or organisation on the ExCom. 
    • (Optional) Statements of support from peers or professional partners or collaborators you would represent on the ExCom

 

• For other relevant seats:
  • You can apply directly via the online process for the country seats (3 for network representatives), the youth seat (1) and the humanitarian seat (1).
  • You are welcome to copy Alexandra in your application so we can keep track of applications from the Network, and support as relevant.
  • More information on application process and selection criteria ​available here.

Please reach out to Alexandra Newlands if you have any questions on the SUN CSN seat, and do not hesitate to contact Paul Mazza directly for any questions on the global process. 

 

The SUN CSN recognises that the funding landscape has become increasingly competitive and constrained in recent years. Identifying and approaching new grants and donors is essential to accessing available resources. Some of the tools available are as follows:  

• Approaching Embassies

• Approaching Private Sector

• Fundraising & Sustainability Slide Deck / Toolkit 

English | Français | Español

• SUN CSN Funding Opportunities Bulletin