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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Youth declaration at N4G Paris to end malnutrition
THOUSANDS OF YOUNG ACTIVISTS CALL FOR LEADERS TO ADDRESS MALNUTRITION WORLDWIDE Friday March 28 – Young activists fighting hunger and malnutrition across the globe have called on political leaders to drive up family incomes, improve school feeding programmes and warned against ultra-processed foods. The declaration made at the Nutrition for Growth Summit in Paris on […]
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THOUSANDS OF YOUNG ACTIVISTS CALL FOR LEADERS TO ADDRESS MALNUTRITION WORLDWIDE
Friday March 28 – Young activists fighting hunger and malnutrition across the globe have called on political leaders to drive up family incomes, improve school feeding programmes and warned against ultra-processed foods.
The declaration made at the Nutrition for Growth Summit in Paris on Friday, 28 March, aims to encourage decision makers to commit to a range of improvements to nutrition in support of the most marginalised and vulnerable families.
They also noted there is a significant crisis is occurring in developed countries with increasing carcinogenic products.
This is the fourth global summit to tackle hunger and malnutrition globally, and follows summits in London, Rome and Toyko. The Paris summit has seen a record number of young people and grassroots activists in attendance.
Messeny Bafouro Camara, from Guinea, an engineer and Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network youth coorindator, said: “Malnutrition and food insecurity know no borders and affects everyone. The Nutrition for Growth Summit 2025 is a critical opportunity for countries to come together and emphasize the equity and justice in their actions, ensuring that no one is left behind.”
Finian Ali, from Nigeria, a nutritionist and Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network youth coorindator, said: “We need countries to improve their nutrition programmes, especially school feeding programme and food aid and nutrition sensitive agricultural support for local communities.”
The French Government has supported the summit, and financial pledges from a range of institutions and foundations so far total over $28 billion.
Medical-student Nana Yohari from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who helped open the summit in the French capital and attended by the French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, said: “Young people need greater mobilisation in the fight against malnutrition. Participating in the opening ceremony was an incredible opportunity to advocate for youth nutrition directly to decision makers.”
Many of the young people attending in Paris have spent several months leading a series of grassroots community dialogues in their home countries about the challenges faced and potential solutions to address malnutrition. This local evidence is then used to inform decision-making processes at the local and national level.
Between August and December 2024, over 10,000 people took part in the Nutrition Dialogues initiative, as a result of a partnership between the SUN Civil Society Network, World Vision International and the 4SD Foundation across 54 countries; the majority were women, children and young people.
From the conversations 80% of communities reported economic barriers preventing good nutrition while 59% said that limited access to drinking water, sanitation and health service impacts the food and nutrition security of households.
Alexandra Newlands, head of the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network, said: “Young people provide a critical voice in the fight against malnutrition. They have the solutions and the vision for the next generation and their views should be taken seriously. Young people from across the globe had a unique opportunity this week to join the high-level talks in Paris and to speak directly to world leaders.
“Those in power must now listen to the youth declaration at the summit which calls on action on supporting families to earn a decent income, improve nutrition in schools, ensure access to clean water and avoid proceeded foods, carcinogenics and chemicals.”
Notes to editor:
More information about the Nutrition Dialogues: http://nutritiondialogues.org/news
The full Call to Action is here and is signed by Salome, Colombia – Sunischita, Nepal – Williams, Sierra Leone – Finian, Nigeria – Messeny, Guinea – Arsène, France – Chemsedine, France – Chloé, France – Séléna, France
Photographs for media use, For interview requests contact: [email protected] and 0044 +7824665272
