In a world grappling with intersecting crises — from food insecurity to climate shocks — the 2024 SUN Civil Society Network (CSN) Annual Survey offers a timely and compelling look at how civil society quietly shaping a more just, nourished future.
With insights from 56 Civil Society Alliances (CSAs) across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean (84% response rate), this year’s report doesn’t just highlight progress — it reveals a vibrant mosaic of local action, global ambition, and untapped potential. If you are interested in equity, systems change, and the power of people to transform policy, this is a story you’ll want to follow.
🌐 Shifting the power through regionalisation:
For the SUN CSN, regionalisation has been a strategic realignment that steadily strengthens the foundations of collaboration and support.
Introducing Senior Regional Advisers (SRAs) across all four SUN regions has become a cornerstone of this shift. These advisers are relationship builders, knowledge connectors, and strategic allies.
- 📊 77% of CSAs agree or strongly agree that SRAs have strengthened their relationship with the SUN CSN Secretariat
- 📈 75% report an increase in technical support from the SRAs
- 📊64% agree or strongly agree that having an SRA in the region has increased interest and participation in the Civil Society Network; and
- 📈59% agree or strongly agree that having an SRA in the region has helped strengthen partnerships between the SUN Focal Point and other SUN Networks.
A closer look at regional impact:
- Asia: The SRA has been described as having facilitated real-time communication and cross-border initiatives, such as nutrition-sensitive agriculture training between Cambodia and Myanmar.
- ESA: The SRA helped CSAs align national plans with global priorities while acting as conduits for funding insights and technical knowledge.
- LAC: The SRA has enabled peer exchanges and elevating civil society voices in national dialogues.
- WCA: In regions with the most severe infrastructure and funding constraints, the SRA has provided lifelines — coordinating global event participation, facilitating networking, and ensuring no voice is left behind.
Regionalisation isn’t just a process — it’s a promise:
That no alliance is too small, too remote, or too politically complex to be seen, supported, and included.
🌍 A movement gaining traction: Global achievemetns at a glance
Civil society has moved from the margins to the centre of national nutrition landscapes. In 2024:
- 27% of reported successes were in multi-stakeholder engagement, where CSAs are acting as trusted conveners and collaborators.
- 24% of achievements focused on advocacy and policy influence, positioning CSAs as credible partners in shaping national nutrition priorities.
- Capacity building (14%) and governance strengthening (12%) also emerged as key themes — laying the foundation for long-term impact.
But the real story lies in the regional nuance. Let’s take a closer look.
🌏 Asia: Systems strengthening and strategic advocacy
Across Asia, CSAs are integrating nutrition into broader political and development agendas.
🌟 Regional highlight: Pakistan
The Pakistan CSA successfully influenced the inclusion of food and nutrition security in the manifestos for the 2024 general elections — a powerful example of embedding nutrition into the democratic process.
📈 Capacity-building efforts were equally impressive: Sri Lanka supported 6,000 Mother Support Groups, while Cambodia launched a cross-border nutrition-sensitive agriculture training with Myanmar.
🌍 East & Southern Africa: A surge in coordination and visibility
From policy reforms to gender-transformative programming, ESA CSAs are expanding reach and relevance.
🌟 Regional highlight: Malawi
Amid funding pressures, Malawi managed to pilot a gender-responsive «Nutrition Smart Community» project and sustain its operations — a testament to resilience and innovation.
📊 Kenya, meanwhile, grew its network from 180 to 418 organisations across 18 counties, signalling vibrant national engagement.
🌎 Latin America & the Caribbean: Strategic influence and institutional maturity
In LAC, CSAs are evolving into well-structured, politically savvy actors influencing high-level decision-making.
🌟 Regional highlight: Peru
By launching an Observatory to hold the government accountable for food systems commitments, Peru’s alliance shows how civil society can champion transparency and accountability.
🧠 LAC CSAs also demonstrated strength in governance — with Ecuador revamping alliance structures and Columbia successfully advocating for the government to join the SUN Movement.
🌍 West & Central Africa: Bold Advocacy and Budget Wins
Despite facing some of the toughest coordination and funding challenges, WCA CSAs are pushing for transformative change.
🌟 Regional highlight: Liberia
Liberia’s alliance advocated successfully for workplace breastfeeding rights — securing a formal commitment from the Minister of Labor. This bold win for maternal health rights is part of a growing movement across the region.
In Mali, the CSA conducted comprehensive budget analyses at both national and decentralised levels, resulting in tangible outcomes, including the establishment of an annual budget line of CFA 600 million for procuring ready-to-use therapeutic foods and supporting the Nutrition Coordination Unit.
💰 Sierra Leone also made headlines by increasing its national nutrition budget — a rare but vital step toward sustainable public financing.
🔍 Trends that matter: what the data reveals
Across regions, three trends are impossible to ignore:
- Civil society is increasingly recognised as a governance partner, not just an implementer.
- Advocacy is getting sharper and more strategic, targeting budget processes, election cycles, and legal frameworks.
- There is still a persistent and worsening funding crisis. Operational fragility, volunteer burnout, and shrinking coordination capacity are threatening hard-won gains.
“Voluntary efforts form the backbone of most alliances but limit programmatic impact,” the report notes.
💸 The funding cliff: civil society’s quiet emergency
From the Philippines to Mozambique, Guinea Bissau to Honduras, CSAs are sounding the alarm: the financial model is breaking down.
- 64% of CSAs have no funding in 2025 and are relying solely on unpaid contributions.
- In-person coordination has declined, particularly in fragile contexts like Myanmar and Cameroon.
- CSOs are struggling to fund core functions, including participation in global forums and technical assistance.
What emerges is not just a resource gap — but a structural risk to civil society’s future role in nutrition governance.
🌱 Hope in action: what’s coming in 2025
Despite the challenges, CSAs are pushing forward with bold plans for 2025:
- Mozambique will expand nutrition advocacy to six new districts using community data tracking and social media outreach.
- Colombia is positioning nutrition as a constitutional right ahead of its 2026 elections.
- Benin will scale up advocacy for institutional accountability on national nutrition policies.
Each of these plans is a vote of confidence in the power of local voice, data, and persistence.
📌 Why this matters now
At its core, this report reflects a movement that refuses to stay silent — even when funding dries up or when government interest wanes. It’s a reminder that civil society is not just a delivery partner. It’s the connective tissue that holds nutrition ecosystems together.
The call to action is clear:
If we want systems that nourish everyone — especially the most vulnerable — we must fund, trust, and equip the people closest to the communities.
📖 Ready to dive deeper? The full report is rich with graphs, region-by-region breakdowns, and reflections from countries.
👉View the full 2024 SUN CSN Annual Survey report here
👉View the SUN CSN Secretariat 2024 highlights here
Ready to engage? Contact the SUN CSN Secretariat at [email protected] to learn more about how you can support SUN Civil Society Alliances across the world.
