The Politics of Ending Malnutrition - Challenging Conversations with Decision Makers

The N4D Team introduce the latest mini-series on the weighty theme of more and better financing for nutrition in the run up to the Nutrition for Growth summit, an event through which national and international pledges are made towards reducing levels of malnutrition globally. In this first episode we set the scene for why this mini-series is important, locating this within current initiatives and studies intended to galvanise better financing for nutrition ahead of, during and post the N4G summit. One highly significant piece of work is the newly published World Bank Nutrition Investment Framework that we recommend as essential reading for our listeners. The N4D team also discuss some of the key messages from a policy brief on ‘more and better financing’ for nutrition’ that they have been working on together with a number of country nutrition specialists. This policy brief covers current financing challenges for nutrition, particularly in situations of protracted crisis, and some of the reasons for this. The policy brief will be disseminated in the build-up to the N4G summit. This introductory podcast signposts subsequent planned episodes in the mini-series, including a deep dive into the current state of financing for nutrition actions in situations of protracted crisis, through conversations with nutrition leaders from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Niger and Yemen. We will then broaden out the series to speak with nutrition leaders from more stable contexts. This will be followed by further episodes with global financing experts exploring issues such as the global financing landscape, advocacy for better financing and innovative financing approaches.N4D are not experts in financing but our listeners can look forward to a number of podcasts where we will be in discussion with knowledgeable people who understand what enables and hinders domestic (i.e. from national treasury) and external financing (often called aid or development assistance); and how these financing mechanisms align with national and sub-national multisectoral nutrition action plans. Please join the debate! Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.coTheme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz© N4D Group 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast features Dr Steve Collins who was key to the development of the globally recognized community base management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) approach. Everyone in the international nutrition sector will know how Steve’s pioneering work helped to build the evidence for ready to use therapeutic food (RUTF) and the programme approach to empower communities and the parents of malnourished children to be actively involved in the effective and safe recovery of their malnourished child at home. Globally, it is reported that there is now 20% coverage of treatment for children with severe acute malnutrition which is a substantial improvement compared to the pre-CMAM era. However, this is still a frustratingly low level of coverage and as Steve argues could be significantly higher if cheaper RUTFs were employed. Furthermore, Steve believes the real percentage coverage is probably much less than the globally cited 20% and that agencies which proclaim this coverage are not following the science. In response to the slow pace of progress, Steve and colleagues have built the evidence base for a cheaper plant based (rather than milk based) RUTF to overcome one of the key obstacles to scale up which is affordability. Steve shares his experience of how the evidence around plant based RUTF efficacy hasn’t penetrated the normative UN agency guidance for acute malnutrition treatment postulating why robust study findings have met with such resistance from several agencies. Part’s of his analysis of the RUTF story are critical and challenging and as the discussion unfolds, Steve discusses the role of international agencies and the aid system in perpetuating obstacles to transformation of aid including support for the localization of capacity and response. N4D hope to have follow up pod casts with WHO, UNICEF and country actors concerned with scaling up CMAM.Please join the debate! Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.coTheme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz© N4D Group 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode (13), the N4D Directors reflect on the pod cast mini-series “Country-led… Rhetoric or Reality” during which N4D had conversations with nutrition leaders in three countries: Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Kenya and with two global leaders from the Scaling up Nutrition Movement. While our national nutrition leaders spoke positively about the SUN Movement and other global nutrition initiatives, there was also consensus around the pressing need for better longer-term aligned financing and tailored technical support. The N4D Directors also discuss emerging developments at the global level which might address these needs but don’t shy away from asking whether these developments are really enough to shift the dial to ensure that countries needs and priorities really are at the centre of global actions.Please join the debate! Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.coTheme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz© N4D Group 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Afshan Khan, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Coordinator of the SUN Movement shares her views on how SUN can provide tailored support countries to scale up their efforts to end malnutrition in all its forms. She responds to issues raised by our country guests and David Nabarro in previous episodes. Questions addressed include: How does the SUN Movement link with other elements of the international nutrition and wider aid ecosystem, including the Global Nutrition Report, Nutrition for Growth and Climate COPs? How is the SUN Movement brokering technical support to countries, facilitating the sharing of learning between them and strengthening capabilities to mobilise financial resources? Should SUN Movement membership be open to high- as well as low- and middle-income countries? What are the opportunities for a global fund for nutrition? Fifteen years on from the first Lancet Series on nutrition, is there a need for a facilitated process to promote greater coherence and effectiveness in how the global nutrition ecosystem supports country-led efforts? Please join the debate! Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.coTheme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz© N4D Group 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.