In July 2026, the SUN Civil Society Network convened Civil Society Alliance and Youth representatives from 8 countries for an in-person peer-learning workshop to deliver youth-led community-informed nutrition policymaking in their own countries. Read on to hear from Senior Advocacy & Youth Advisor, Sean Counihan, on what we learned over 3 action-packed days, the road […]
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Multi-stakeholder collaboration in Nigeria: harnessing the power of youth leadership
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 – […]
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Applications are now open for the SUN CSN Nutrition Dialogues Youth Advocacy Fund!
Overview The SUN Civil Society Network is offering grants of up to €10,000 to Civil Society Alliances (CSAs) for youth-led community dialogues on nutrition. This funding will amplify the voices of marginalised young people and community members, transforming local conversations into concrete policy asks that influence nutrition decision-making from local to global levels. This opportunity builds on the momentum of the Nutrition […]
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The Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network at a turning point
As 2025 comes to a close, we look back on a year of extraordinary commitment and collective impact across the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network (SUN CSN). It has been a year marked by global turbulence, shrinking civic space, widening inequalities and an unprecedented contraction in funding. Yet, despite these challenges, civil society has shown remarkable resilience. Our […]
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Youth Assembly capacity development session: Understanding the role of nutrition and healthy diets in agrifood systems transformation
This article was originally published by the World Food Forum. The World Food Forum (WFF)’s Youth Assembly, in collaboration with the SUN Civil Society Network, Act4Food and McGill Youth Advisory Delegation, hosted a youth-led capacity development session titled “Understanding the role of nutrition and healthy diets in agrifood systems transformation”. Held virtually on 11 August 2025, […]
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African Food Systems Forum: A week of intensity and inspiration
Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network (SUN CSN) Youth Leader Brice Kouderin travelled from Benin to Dakar, Senegal to attend the Africa Food Systems Forum summit, September 2025. Here he shares his reflections. Last week, Dakar pulsed to the rhythm of the Africa Food Systems Forum 2025. Six days filled with encounters, debates and reflections […]
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We’ve registered our N4G commitments – and we’re ready to act with accountability!
The March 2025 Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in Paris was an important moment for the global nutrition community. Governments, donors, civil society and the private sector came together to commit to stronger, smarter and more coordinated efforts to end malnutrition in all its forms, despite the challenging context and dwindling development funding. Building on […]
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Strengthened, Aligned, Mobilised: SUN Civil Society in West and Central Africa and the Islands issues the Lagos Declaration
Lagos, Nigeria – June 14, 2025 Civil society leaders from 22 countries across West, Central Africa and the Islands (Comoros and Madagascar) (WCAI) came together last week in Lagos, Nigeria for the SUN Civil Society Network’s annual regional meeting — a week of dialogue, learning, and bold action toward nutrition justice. Under the theme “A […]
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Where Nutrition Meets Food Systems Transformation: Championing Youth-Led Community Dialogues at UNFSS+4
What happens when you bring together young changemakers from across the globe — all working to fix our broken food systems and end malnutrition in their communities? You get energy. You get vision. And with the right ongoing collaboration, you can get real system-change. That’s exactly what we experienced in May 2025 at the UNFSS+4 […]
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Nutrition for Growth Summit 2025: The Youth Takeover!
SUN CSN Youth Coordinators amplifying grassroots voices in every space and every conversation Let’s be honest—global summits haven’t always been conducive to meaningful youth participation. Too often, we’ve seen young people reduced to side-show speakers, offering a “youth perspective” before being politely ushered off the stage and out of the room. But at the Nutrition […]
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SUN CSN Youth Coordinators amplifying grassroots voices in every space and every conversation
Let’s be honest—global summits haven’t always been conducive to meaningful youth participation. Too often, we’ve seen young people reduced to side-show speakers, offering a “youth perspective” before being politely ushered off the stage and out of the room.
But at the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in Paris in March 2025, it felt different…
The 16 SUN Civil Society Network Youth Coordinators we brought to Paris were not just passive participants — they were visible and vocal everywhere. On stage. In breakout groups. Holding bilateral meetings. Co-leading sessions. Shaping strategies. And issuing bold, brave calls to action. Their presence was loud, clear, and backed by two years of real grassroots work.
Why did we bring the Youth Coordinators to Paris?
Since we launched the latest phase of the Youth Leaders for Nutrition program in 2023, we have only met face-to-face once when the Youth Coordinators were first recruited. Two years down the road, it was important to come together and take stock of progress so far, share lessons learned, and begin shaping a path forward for scaling up the program to reach every SUN Civil Society Alliance across the network.
With most of the SUN CSN Secretariat team already travelling to Paris for the N4G Summit, and with so many advocacy opportunities associated with the summit, it made sense for us to streamline our efforts and resources by scheduling our in-person youth retreat at the start of the week of the N4G Summit. Not all Youth Coordinators stayed for the full week, with the conclusion of the in-person retreat, most of them flew home to continue carrying out their mission on the ground, while a small group stayed on to participate in the official summit and Solutions Village.
Youth Leaders for Nutrition Program – The Groundwork leading up to Paris
The SUN CSN Youth Coordinators certainly weren’t tokenistic faces parachuted in for a “youth panel.” They’ve spent the last two years working with their national SUN Civil Society Alliances to deliver community dialogues and listening campaigns—reaching thousands of people in communities often excluded from traditional policymaking.
Their experiences, insights, and stories from the grassroots helped shaped a powerful narrative in Paris: that nutrition policies must be rooted in community voices, and that young people are uniquely positioned to help bridge that gap.
Nutrition Dialogues: A Natural Partnership
“Finian’s leadership on Nutrition Dialogues in Nigeria has been incredible. I call it the Finian Cascade, and we need to see it happening everywhere!”
David Nabarro, Strategic Director, 4SD Foundation
Over the past year, SUN CSN has been a mobilising partner with “Nutrition Dialogues”, an initiative led by the 4SD Foundation and World Vision International, to deliver thousands of dialogues with diverse communities to better understand the challenges around access to nutrition, and the solutions needed for them.
Given the Youth Leaders for Nutrition program’s strong alignment with this initiative, the Youth Coordinators stood out as some of the most successful conveners of Nutrition Dialogues in 2024.
As N4G approached, we successfully bid together for a joint stand in the N4G Solutions Village to showcase the impact of the Nutrition Dialogues initiative and encourage stakeholders to get behind this approach and help scale it up.
On this exhibition stand, the Youth Coordinators made a huge impact inspiring everyone they spoke to about their grassroots dialogues, and the learnings from them. And you could see a similar effect on audience faces when the youth coordinators demonstrated their impact in Solutions Village panel discussions.
Young people making waves elsewhere in Paris
Alongside him was Paul Troy, from Irish Aid, who reaffirmed the Irish Government’s commitment to supporting Youth Leadership and community engagement through the SUN CSN.
Finally we heard from Afshan Khan, who celebrated the leadership of the Youth Coordinators and the multi-stakeholder support seen in some countries, while acknowledging the need for more support in other countries.
This was played during the launch ceremony of the Nutrition Integration Compact and Coalition, hosted by the British Ambassador to France. You can watch Vanessa’s poetry recital here.
Our Key Takeaways
🧭 Youth leadership is not a side activity—it’s a central pillar of our mission to end malnutrition. When trusted and supported, young people can shift mindsets, spotlight community realities, and mobilise for change.
🙌 Good practice is contagious. Stakeholders are already reaching out to replicate success stories like Nigeria and the Philippines.
📰 We need to talk more to the news media. Strategic media engagement elevated our youth voices—and raised the global profile of SUN CSN’s work.
🌍 Global Partnerships can deliver real impact at the local level – Working with World Vision International and 4SD Foundation to deliver Nutrition Dialogues provided Youth Coordinators with vital tools and resources
📸 Young voices drive online engagement – Social Media engagement around youth voices generated a 265% spike in our LinkedIn impact. When we spotlight youth, the world listens.
🤝 Multi-Stakeholder collaboration is key. Youth Coordinators have worked hand-in-hand with civil society, donors, and government partners before and during the N4G Summit. This cross-sector approach is what gives the Youth Leaders for Nutrition programme its tremendous value, and what should be replicated as we move to scale-up the program around the world.
What’s Next? – Accountability beyond the summit, and scaling up this effective youth leadership model
The SUN CSN Youth Coordinators have returned home with renewed energy—and with serious momentum. With some bold N4G Commitments made in Paris by so many stakeholders, the Youth Coordinators and their SUN Civil Society Alliances will begin the crucial work of upholding accountability together with the most marginalised communities. Where commitments are not being upheld, we can all work together with commitment makers and duty-bearers to course-correct.
Beyond this, we’re now looking ahead at the next Strategy period for SUN, and SUN CSN, and considering how we can apply the learnings from the program to deliver a scaled-up model which is open and accessible to all SUN CSN members.
Find out more
If you’re feeling inspired by the brilliant work of the SUN CSN Youth Coordinators and want to learn more about what they’ve been doing and how you can engage, you can reach out to Sean Counihan, Senior Advocacy & Youth Advisor, SUN CSN Secretariat: [email protected].
You can also check out the following links and resources:
