Since 2018 SUN CSN has run a small grants programme, which invites interested & eligible CSAs and their members to apply for small grants, to implement and pilot small projects for research or innovation purposes over a 6-month period. Between 2018 – 2022 The SUN CSN Small Grants Programme has run four cycles of funding […]
ReadAll West and Central Africa region news
We are all accountable
One year on from the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) summit, SUN CSN launches a social accountability campaign to hold stakeholders to account for promises made. The SUN Civil Society Network, along with the support of network members and global partners, want to see that the bold commitments we all made for nutrition become a reality! […]
ReadGet to know the Global Nutrition Cluster Technical Alliance
Who is the GNC Technical Alliance? The Global Nutrition Cluster Technical Alliance exists to provide systematic, predictable, timely, cost-effective and coordinated nutrition technical assistance to help nutrition practitioners meet the nutrition rights and needs of people affected by and at risk of emergencies. We provide expert guidance, learning and training, either remotely, through providing online […]
ReadThe system is broken, now what? Five things we can do to make our advocacy demands a reality.
This September 2022, our members gathered again for a Virtual Assembly, the second of its kind. The objective was to agree upon the practical steps to deliver on a set of advocacy demands that emerged through a consultative process after our first virtual assembly. With the overarching goal to mitigate the impact of ongoing and […]
ReadGet Involved with the Latest CS Network Assembly!
Our first ever network-wide Virtual Assembly took place in May against the backdrop of ongoing global crises, which have seen food prices rise and access to adequate nutrition further diminished. Together, CSN members discussed how communities have been impacted and what we needed to change in the global food system to mitigate the impact of […]
ReadA new chapter for youth leadership on nutrition for the SUN CSN!
This year, the SUN CSN Secretariat is very excited to be launching the next phase of the successful Youth Leaders for Nutrition Program, and we’re inviting all CSN Members to join us in recruiting the next generation of young change-makers on nutrition. What does this new phase look like? Previously, the SUN CSN has supported […]
ReadThree things we learnt from the first Civil Society Network assembly
This week saw over 60 members of the SUN Movement’s Civil Society Network (CSN) come together from countries all around the globe in the first ever network-wide assembly to discuss experiences and solutions surrounding the current global food crisis and to create tangible advocacy demands as a network. The discussion was full of ideas and […]
ReadThe SUN CSN to host its first network-wide assembly on global crises
Summary The Civil Society Network Secretariat (CSNS) plans to organise a series of meetings with CSN Members to come together and share experiences and perspectives on how the global commodity price increases are impacting nutrition in different contexts. The event on May 25th will be offered as the first of an ongoing series of global […]
ReadUkraine conflict highlights the fragility of the global food system and will have damaging impact on nutrition of the most vulnerable, warns SUN Movement’s Civil Society Network.
Members of the SUN Movement’s Civil Society Network are already reporting food shortages and escalation in prices due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which will have knock-on effects on the state of nutrition globally. The Russian Federation and Ukraine are among the most important producers of agricultural commodities in the world. Organisations such as […]
ReadThe African Union Year of Nutrition
At their annual meeting in February of 2022, the African Union declared 2022 ‘The Year of Nutrition for Africa’. This is an exciting initiative as it will shine a spotlight on nutrition in Africa and push for greater political commitment on nutrition and increased investment to address the ongoing malnutrition challenges. The AU will strive […]
ReadAt their annual meeting in February of 2022, the African Union declared 2022 ‘The Year of Nutrition for Africa’. This is an exciting initiative as it will shine a spotlight on nutrition in Africa and push for greater political commitment on nutrition and increased investment to address the ongoing malnutrition challenges.
The AU will strive to achieve improved nutrition resilience on the African continent through the strengthening of African Agri-Food, Health and Social Protection Systems.
Why this is a crucial and timely initiative
Despite progress over the recent decades, malnutrition rates across Africa remain unacceptably high and Africa is now the only region where chronic malnutrition in children under 5 is still on the rise. At the same time, overweight, obesity and non-communicable diseases related to the quality of diets are increasing rapidly, worsening morbidity and mortality rates.
The combined impact of climate change, conflict and COVID-19 is threatening to push millions more children toward malnutrition, with lifelong consequences for their health and development, as well as for the prosperity of their communities. Urgent investment in nutrition interventions, especially targeting the most vulnerable, is an indispensable foundation to unlock human capital and build healthy and prosperous societies.
But achieving good nutrition outcomes requires long-term investment and coordinated action across multiple sectors, including health, agriculture, social protection, education, and WASH. The African Union Theme of the Year 2022 will be crucial to maintain political momentum for nutrition, building on the outcomes of the 2021 Year of Action on Nutrition. Most importantly, it can provide a new Africa-led multi-sector and multi-stakeholder platform to ensure adequate financing, implementation capacity, accountability mechanisms and multisectoral and multistakeholder coordination on nutrition across the continent.
Learn more at the African Union website here.
2021 has seen many nutrition commitments announced at the N4G summit as well as National Pathways for Food Systems transformation adopted through the UN Food Systems Summit. In 2022, let’s hold Leaders and each other into account so the year yields operationalization and results!
Are you planning advocacy to build on N4G commitments and increase nutrition financing? Do you want your leaders to adopt and enforce the BMS code? Or is it through integrating nutrition services in Universal Health Coverage that you want to see make a difference? Through improving the links between agriculture and nutrition?
Whatever it is that you have planned for this year, we want to know!
We would love to hear from you, get in touch with the secretariat here.
Or you get in touch via whatsapp.