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BackHigh level meeting on nutrition

23rd - 25th November 2009

Main objectives

• To put nutrition higher on the agenda of both high burden and donor countries
• To initiate the development of a roadmap
• To develop basic guiding nutrition principles.

• A set of agreed basic guiding nutrition principles
• Recognition by both donor countries and high-burden countries of the urgency to act at international, regional and national levels
• Concrete steps towards better governance on nutrition at global and country level (including agreement on initiation of roadmap).

Agenda 23rd November 2009

08:15 - 08:55	Registration
Day 1 : Highlighting nutrition governance issues at national level, needs and current responses
09:00 - 09:30	Welcome, background to the seminar and objectives
	Attached document(s) : SCN Chair welcome speech
Session 1 theme : global nutrition overview: needs and current response
09:30 - 10:00	The evolution of the global nutrition situation	View/Add comments
	Highlights from the 6th report by John Mason
	Attached document(s) : To view the presentation, please click here
	Your comments, suggestions or questions are welcome for this session: Print comments Close Name *   Organisation E-mail address *   Location Attached file   Please copy the security code in the following image: If you cannot read them, try another pattern.   On 10th December 2009, akankiza samson, UIRI, Kampala, Uganda, wrote : i urge the next organizers to consider involving all stakeholders On 20th November 2009, Dr. Agnes Guyon, JSI Research & Training Institute, USA, wrote : I would like to congratulate this initiative... however, many agencies have "not voting with their feet"... meaning they don't attend the meeting and/or leave before the end. On 15th November 2009, Harriet Kuhnlein, Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Environment (CINE), McGill University, Montreal, wrote : I would like to know how the many important and relevant recent meetings can be concisely summarized, deliberated on, and acted upon by the SCN to bring forward a coherent policy. There is much confusion and a great deal is at stake. SCN should be the leader.. These 14 meetings are: • January 26-27, 2009. High Level Meeting on Food Security for All, Madrid. Its purpose was to carry forward the commitment made at the G8 meeting in July 2008 to create a Global Partnership on Agriculture and Food Security (GPAFS). • July 10, 2009. The G8 Summit meeting in Italy issued the “L’Aquila Joint Statement on Global Food Security,” voicing support for the GPAFS and other initiatives. • September 24-25, 2009. The G20 Summit held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania endorsed the L’Aquila statement and reported on progress in planning and funding its implementation (http://www.pittsburghsummit.gov/resources/129662.htm). • October 4-9, 2009. Meeting of International Union of Nutritional Sciences, Bangkok, a scientific and academic meeting. • October 10, 2009. Meeting of the United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition, Bangkok. • Meeting on the “People’s Comprehensive Framework for Action to Eradicate Hunger,” Rome. • October 12-13, 2009. High Level Expert Forum on “How to Feed the World in 2050,” Rome. • October 12, 2009. Side event to the High Level Expert Forum to raise awareness of the International Public Register of Commitments, Rome. • October 14-17, 2009. Meeting of Committee on World Food Security, Rome, at which the committee decided to undertake a major reform of its own functions and structure (FAO. Committee on World Food Security 2009). • November 12-13, 2009. Private Sector Forum, Milan, Italy, in preparation for the World Summit on Food Security. • November 13-17, 2009. People’s Food Sovereignty Forum, Rome. (http://peoplesforum2009.foodsovereignty.org/the_peoples_forum) • November 16-18, 2009. World Summit on Food Security of Heads of State and Government, Rome. • November 18-21, 2009. FAO Conference, 36th Session. • November 23-24, 2009. High Level Meeting on Nutrition. United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition, European Community, and others, Brussels.
10:00 - 10:20	Mapping policies, programmes and country readiness to act	View/Add comments
	Highlights from the Landscape Analysis by Chizuru Nishida For more informations, please visit : http://www.who.int/nutrition/nlis/
	Attached document(s) : To view the presentation, please click here
	Your comments, suggestions or questions are welcome for this session: Print comments Close Name *   Organisation E-mail address *   Location Attached file   Please copy the security code in the following image: If you cannot read them, try another pattern.   On 20th November 2009, Dr. Agnes Guyon, JSI Research & Training Institute, wrote : In reference to Madagascar, the landscape analysis did not consider previous success...I congratulate the initiative of a needed landscape analysis, however, it should happen with a better review of the history of the nutrition trends/events of the country... the tendency is to repeat history (refer to what is happening in Malawi now where most resources go to the 4% of wasted children (rates that was almost unchanged for decades) and limited resources target half of the stunted children.
10:20 - 10:45	Discussion
10:45 - 11:00	Tea/coffee break
Session 2 theme : country experiences on successful examples of national nutrition policies, programmes and governance mechanisms
11:00 - 12:00	Country presentations	View/Add comments
	1) Laos 2) Malawi 3) Benin
	Attached document(s) : To view the Laos presentation, please click here To view the Malawi presentation, please click here To view the Benin presentation, please click here
	Your comments, suggestions or questions are welcome for this session: Print comments Close Name *   Organisation E-mail address *   Location Attached file   Please copy the security code in the following image: If you cannot read them, try another pattern.   On 19th November 2009, Omar Obeid, American University of Beirut, Lebanon, wrote : Dear Sir/Madam I have been in the field of nutrition for many years and have few comments that may help in advancing the progress in this area. It is well known that there are a lot of information related to nutrition, but these information does not always seem to be related to the need of a specific country. I am presently working in the Middel East or in an Arabic country. My colleague and I conduct research in the area of nutrtion and we are belong to a nutrition association, however, the sharing of our knowledge with other Arab countries is limited. There is a need for an organization to house all nutrtionist in the Arab world. The role of such organization will be to share information between the different countries. At the same time, such organization can act as scientific reference for the region. As you all know, in each Arab country there is few number of scientist and on their own they would not be able to promote and dissiminate knowledge or even to formulate plan of action and stategies. A bigger scientifically respected body is needed to take the lead in this are. Such body can advise the different goverments on nutritional issues and can direct the funding of research toward issue of concern for the region. We have some rich and poor counties and in the region and funding for such an organization would be possible especially if UN take a lead ion this process. We would be happy to offer our spport. Good luck with your work
12:00 - 12:45	Discussion
12:45 - 13:45	Lunch
13:45 - 14:45	Country presentations	Add comments
	1) Brazil 2) Cambodia 3) Peru
	Attached document(s) : To view the Brazil presentation, please click here To view the Cambodia presentation, please click here To view the Peru presentation, please click here
	Your comments, suggestions or questions are welcome for this session: Print comments Close Name *   Organisation E-mail address *   Location Attached file   Please copy the security code in the following image: If you cannot read them, try another pattern.
14:45 - 15:30	Discussion
15:30 - 16:00	Tea/coffee break
Session 3 theme : Governance at national level
16:00 - 16:40	Panel discussion on good practice of nutrition governance at country level	View/Add comments
	Panel discussion with Guatemala, Madagascar, China, Malawi and Bolivia country experiences
	Attached document(s) : To view the Guatemala presentation, please click here To view the Madagascar presentation, please click here To view the China presentation, please click here To view the Bolivia presentation, click here
	Your comments, suggestions or questions are welcome for this session: Print comments Close Name *   Organisation E-mail address *   Location Attached file   Please copy the security code in the following image: If you cannot read them, try another pattern.   On 20th November 2009, Dr. Agnes Guyon, JSI Research & Training Institute, USA, wrote : Focusing on governance at the global level is good. However, real partnership (and not competition) at the country is even better. For example, the success of Madagascar on improving breastfeeding practices has been well documented (conferences, case studies, peer review articles). Exclusive breastfeeding rates(identified as thenumber 1 intervention to reduce under-five mortality in Lancet series 2003 and 2008) were improved from 47% to 67% between DHS 97 and 03/04. At the end of the USAID funded LINKAGES project that supported this program, there was no consensus/effort from donors and government to continue supporting this success. DHS 08/09 shows a decrease from 67% to 51%. In nutrition, we have too many examples of this "partnership/governance" at country level. Similar issues is currently happening in Ethiopia. Attached document : Quinn_article_from_JHL_FINAL.pdf On 20th November 2009, Sonia Khan, UNICEF, wrote : Fisrt of all, I would like to congratulate the organization of this meeting to discuss a very important issue in the current days. I would also like to comment that, in order to overcome malnutrition in the developing world, Nutrition issues should integrate the plan of actions of all government Ministries and institutions at all levels, including the community involvement. The basics f Nutrition and adequate IYCF should be strenghened in all education and training programs at all levels. Good lack with your discussions and thank you. On 15th November 2009, Harriet Kuhnlein, Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Environment (CINE), McGill University, Montreal, wrote : In my opinion thoughtful civil societies of the world need to be reassured that nutrition governance is accomplished with good consciousness. Economic gain by multinational food companies needs to be offset with consideration of the human right to honest and real food. Rather than air-dropping mass quantities of "Northern" manufactured food on areas suffering food insufficiency, governments should help people build their own infrastructure to produce their own crops-- to have a within country supply chain of food. This is especially important for Indigenous Peoples who have their local food regions threatened by various industrial or conflict driven interests that originate in economic gains, usually for the already rich. Good governance protects food ecosystems in countries, and promotes healthy food choices from local foods.
16:40 - 17:00	Discussion
Session 4 theme : Stakeholders' perspective in recapturing nutrition
17:00 - 17:50	Panel discussion on why and how nutrition needs to be recaptured and governance improved	View/Add comments
	Your comments, suggestions or questions are welcome for this session: Print comments Close Name *   Organisation E-mail address *   Location Attached file   Please copy the security code in the following image: If you cannot read them, try another pattern.   On 15th November 2009, Harriet Kuhnlein, Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Environment (CINE), McGill University, Montreal, wrote : For the "why" - we clearly know that nutrition governance is not working, not at national levels or at the United Nations levels. Malnutrition (under and over nutrition) is increasing, and fast. There are too many competing interests that are vying for power and to be "in control." We need strong leaders who can stare down the monsters of: inequality, instability and unsustainability. Each country needs an effective and courageous high level panel to address nutrition improvements with input from all relevant ministries, but with a clear human rights perspective. The human right to food, to culture and to ecosystem and food biodiversity protection. Unless this happens, the economic gurus and the profit motive will win, and at the expense of citizen health and the natural environment.
17:50 - 18:30	Discussion
18:30 - 18:45	Closing of the day
19:00	Reception

Agenda 24th November 2009

Day 2: Strengthening global level nutrition governance to better support countries
09:00 - 09:15	Summary of 1st day's conclusions	Add comments
	Your comments, suggestions or questions are welcome for this session: Print comments Close Name *   Organisation E-mail address *   Location Attached file   Please copy the security code in the following image: If you cannot read them, try another pattern.
Session 5 theme : Governance at global level
09:15 - 10:30	Panel discussion on global governance and international initiatives	View/Add comments
	Your comments, suggestions or questions are welcome for this session: Print comments Close Name *   Organisation E-mail address *   Location Attached file   Please copy the security code in the following image: If you cannot read them, try another pattern.   On 6th January 2010, Chunming Chen, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China, wrote : The High level meeting on Nutrititon held in Brussels was very sucessful and the discussions reflected the willingness of all the participants to join the global action on the nutrition improvement in developing countries. After read again the draft document "Moving toward Consensus: a Global Action Plan for Scalling up Nutrition--Policy Brief" , I think it is an excellent document to explain the GAP and to get the commitments of the highiest authorities all over the world to take action now on nutrition improvement, I would like to express my great appreciation of the draft document and hope it could be on the agenda of G20 in 2010. Nutrition strategy and nutrition program should be country-owned and along with it the capacity development is critical. As a nutritionist in a developing country, I am eagerly looking forward to the global action so that the high authorities from China could join the international initiative and make political commitment to the Action so that the national efforts in this regard could be integrated into the national devlopment plan, then the nutrition program can be sustainable. Centering nutrition into the national development will save lives of children and make the good human resource development possible. I hope the Global Action Plan for Nutrition Improvement could be approved and implemented sooner. It maybe appropriate to emphasize more on the requirement for good implementation of GAP at country level, I like the "3 ones" principle described on page 8, making the national program sustainable and efficient is the souel and survival of GAP. Above are my comments on the GAP Policy Brief, could you please send it to the team? Thank you. With best regards,
10:30 - 10:45	Tea/coffee
10:45 - 11:45	General discussion
Session 6 theme : Ethical and political principles
11:45 - 12:00	Key guiding principles for nutrition policies and programmes by Florence Egal	View/Add comments
	Attached document(s) : To view the presentation, please click here
	Your comments, suggestions or questions are welcome for this session: Print comments Close Name *   Organisation E-mail address *   Location Attached file   Please copy the security code in the following image: If you cannot read them, try another pattern.   On 15th November 2009, Harriet Kuhnlein, Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Environment (CINE), McGill University, Montreal, wrote : We need more "bottom-up" decision making about what it is people want for feeding themselves and their children. This takes listening and giving credibility and empowerment to local voices. Development in food and nutrition rightfully begins with the people, with special focus on those most in need and most vulnerable. How to guide policies so that people can feed themselves in a sustainable way, which always means protecting their local ecosystems that produce their food. This also means being careful to understand what those ecosystems already contain by way of biodiversity and possibilities for protecting and enhancing these resources. It is a slippery slope to expect people to develop their economic capacity so they can "buy" things created by the industrial "north". There is never enough "money" to satisfy what the private sector can produce. Listen to the people.
12:00 - 12:30	Discussion
12:30 - 13:30	Lunch
Global and national plans to scale up nutrition
13:30 - 14:00	Introduction: Key elements for joint nutrition action	Add comments
	Your comments, suggestions or questions are welcome for this session: Print comments Close Name *   Organisation E-mail address *   Location Attached file   Please copy the security code in the following image: If you cannot read them, try another pattern.
14:00 - 16:00	Group discussion
14:00 - 16:00	A - Integrating, upscaling and complementing existing interventions	Add comments
	1) What are the priority programmes ready to scale up? How to update the evidence? How to operationalize? 2) What are the supporting policies required to ensure the best effectiveness of interventions? What is the role of the different sectors and different actors? 3) Do we need global and regional plans to implement country level actions?
	Your comments, suggestions or questions are welcome for this session: Print comments Close Name *   Organisation E-mail address *   Location Attached file   Please copy the security code in the following image: If you cannot read them, try another pattern.
14:00 - 16:00	B - Supporting national action	Add comments
	1) Proposed roadmap to country level action plans 2) Role of regional bodies and institutions and global mechanisms to implement country level actions 3) How to bring nutrition into national development planning and UNDAF process
	Your comments, suggestions or questions are welcome for this session: Print comments Close Name *   Organisation E-mail address *   Location Attached file   Please copy the security code in the following image: If you cannot read them, try another pattern.
14:00 - 16:00	C - Advocacy and funding	Add comments
	1) How to generate greater investment in nutrition 2) Donor strategies in nutrition 3) Innovative funding mechanisms for countries
	Your comments, suggestions or questions are welcome for this session: Print comments Close Name *   Organisation E-mail address *   Location Attached file   Please copy the security code in the following image: If you cannot read them, try another pattern.
16:00 - 16:20	Group reports
16:20 - 17:30	General discussion
17:30 - 18:00	Presentation and discussion of final statement
18:00 - 18:10	Closing
18:30 - 20:30	Launch of Save the Children UK’s Hungry for Change Report
	The event will be chaired by Lawrence Haddad and will include contributions from: Olivier de Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food David Mepham, Director of Policy at Save the Children UK David Nabarro, UN Secretary General Special Representative on Food Security and Nutrition, and Coordinator of the UN High Level Taskforce on the Global Food Crisis. Children have been suffering and dying from hunger and undernutrition related causes for decades without the world noticing. The 2007-08 food crisis has led to a renewed political momentum on hunger and food security which must be used to put the issue of child hunger higher on the world leaders' agendas. Save the Children’s flagship report has a critical role to play in doing this. First it makes a compelling case for greater leadership to put an end to needless child suffering. Second, it proposes a concrete action plan to tackle child hunger, which has the potential to dramatically reduce undernutrition. There is no silver bullet for ending hunger and malnutrition, but Save the Children's report demonstrates that with the right kind of interventions and political leadership, millions of children can be saved and go on to live productive and healthy lives. Download invitation (PDF)

Agenda 25th November 2009

08:30 - 10:30	Follow-up meeting for EU Member States	Add comments
	This meeting  will give the opportunity to increase the participation of partner countries in the international debate on leadership and on governance roadblocks to tackle undernutrition.   Having heard the views of partner countries, the EC and EU member states will be in a better position to jointly plan and strengthen their development and humanitarian cooperation for nutrition.  Venue: Meeting Room 0/3 of the EC Building J54 (Rue Joseph II, 54) in Brussels
	Your comments, suggestions or questions are welcome for this session: Print comments Close Name *   Organisation E-mail address *   Location Attached file   Please copy the security code in the following image: If you cannot read them, try another pattern.
Expanding the evidence base for effective nutrition interventions
11:00 - 13:00	Satellite Event	Add comments
	On the occasion of the High Level Meeting on Nutrition (23rd and 24th of November), WHO and the World Bank would like to invite you to a satellite event on "Expanding the evidence base for effective nutrition interventions". The meeting will present the Library of Evidence of Effective Nutrition Action, a recent multi-agency initiative to update and expand the evidence base of nutrition interventions and to identify good practice for optimal delivery. The initiative will also contribute to filling the gap of evidence based guidance identified by the Global Action Plan for Scaling-Up Nutrition. We cordially invite you to participate. Venue: Meeting Room 0/3 of the EC Building J54 (Rue Joseph II, 54) in Brussels For more information click here
	Attached document(s) : To view the WHO presentation, please click here To view the presentation from the EC's Dr Di Giulio, please click here
	Your comments, suggestions or questions are welcome for this session: Print comments Close Name *   Organisation E-mail address *   Location Attached file   Please copy the security code in the following image: If you cannot read them, try another pattern.
REACH special event
14:00 - 16:00	REACH special event	Add comments
	On the occasion of the High Level Meeting on Nutrition (23rd and 24th of November) REACH: ending child hunger and undernutrition would like to invite you to a satellite event on "REACH progress and next steps". REACH is a country-led, solution focused approach jointly developed by FAO, WHO, UNICEF, WFP, civil society and private sector partners to scale up proven effective nutrition interventions for reducing young child undernutrition. REACH aims to strengthen linkages between food security, health and care based on 3 programming pillars: placing the child at the center of all attention and action, supporting governments on taking the leading and coordinating role, supporting results-based joint action planning through an expert facilitated process, and creating synergies between operations and delivery systems. The REACH approach was applied in two countries - Mauretania and Laos, which provided important insight and advice on how to further develop teh REACH approach and expand to other high undernutrition burdened countries. With the support of the European Commission humanitarian aid department (ECHO) and DFID, a regional hub was established in Dakar, from which support and expert advice are provided to West African countries. Several countries in Western, Eastern, and Southern Africa have expressed interest in applying the REACH approach to nutrition programming. To respond to this demand, the REACH 3-year business plan (2010-2012) includes expanding to at least 10 countries. The objectives of this session are: update the group on REACH concept and approach and progress to date, collect insights and advice on REACH expansion, discuss how best positions REACH in the global nutrition architecture to improve global nutrition governance. The update session will take place in Meeting Room 0/3 of the EC building J54 (Rue Joseph II,54) in Brussels.
	Attached document(s) : To view the REACH presentation, please click here
	Your comments, suggestions or questions are welcome for this session: Print comments Close Name *   Organisation E-mail address *   Location Attached file   Please copy the security code in the following image: If you cannot read them, try another pattern.