Welcome to the UNSCN website

UNSCN is the food and nutrition policy harmonization forum of the United Nations.

The mandate of the UNSCN is to promote cooperation among UN agencies and partner organizations in support of community, national, regional, and international efforts to end malnutrition in all of its forms in this generation. It will do this by refining the direction, increasing the scale and strengthening the coherence and impact of actions against malnutrition world wide, and raise awareness of nutrition problems and mobilize commitment to solve them at global, regional and national levels. Read more

Don't Miss!

Embedding nutrition in a post-2015 development framework

The Institute for Development Studies (IDS) has published a policy brief (issue #33, April 2013) with recommendations on how to embed nutrition in the post2015 development framework.

It provides a short overview of the key challenges nutrition is facing, to then proceed to analyze risks and opportunities for having a separate nutrition goal and/or incorporating nutrition indicators and targets into other goals.

To read more and download the paper, click below.

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Conference: World Forum for Nutrition Research Conference - 20 and 21 May 2013 Reus, Spain

World Forum for Nutrition Research Conference - 20 and 21 May 2013 Reus, Spain

For registration, please visit the website.

For more information, please click on the link below

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Conference: 3rd Annual Conference LCIRAH 13-14th June 2013

The Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Research on Agriculture and Health (LCIRAH) is proud to announce that its 3rd Annual Conference, Developing methods in agriculture and health research, will be held at the Royal Veterinary College's Camden Campus, London, on the 13-14th June 2013.

The focus of this 2 day conference will be on methodological and integrative aspects of research on agriculture and health and will feature the work and findings of researchers in agricultural development, nutrition, public health, economics, anthropology, veterinary science and other related fields.

We are now calling for abstracts and the deadline for submission is 21.01.2013. Please see attachment for further details regarding the conference and abstract submission.

For more information, please click on the link below

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Training: 12th International Postgraduate Course on the Production and Use of Food Composition Data in Nutrition - 13-25 October 2013 - the Netherlands

12^th International Postgraduate Course on the Production and Use of Food Composition Data in Nutrition will be organized from 13-25 October 2013, in Wageningen, the Netherlands.

For more information, please click on the link below

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Conference: 2nd International Scientific Symposium on Sustainable Diets: Human Nutrition and Livestock, 13-16 June, 2013, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

The conference is organized by the School of Food Engineering & Biotechnology (FEBS) of Mongolian University of Science & Technology", the FAO's initiative.

To find out more, please click below.

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Training: IDS Transforming Nutrition Summer School, 15-19 July 2013

The IDS (Institute of Development) is organizing a Summer School course on Transforming Nutrition Ideas, Policy and Outcomes from 15 to 19 July 2013, Brighton, UK.

The details of the course are here: 2013 flyer, 2013 programme and evaluation from the 2012 group.

This year IDS will focus on the new Lancet Series coming out in early June and will build on all the nutrition events that are taking place in the first half of 2013.

To get an application form, please email at nutrition2013@ids.ac.ukIf you have any questions, email Lawrence Haddad at l.haddad@ids.ac.uk.

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Vacancy: Bioversity Scientist, Nutrition & Biodiversity

The Nutrition and Marketing Diversity Programme of Bioversity International studies the use of biodiversity resources for improved food and nutrition security. Bioversity's research is designed to explore how biodiversity conservation and use can provide immediate local as well as global benefits to people, especially in developing countries facing a growing burden of over and under nutrition. Biodiversity in agriculture, including crop genetic diversity, neglected or underutilized crops, plants and animals in smallholder agriculture and in a range of niches including aquatic environments and forests is an important a source of nutrients, food components and dietary diversity. Agricultural biodiversity is also crucial to address shifts towards uniform, simplified, and nutritionally poor diets.

Responsibilities
Working in a team focusing on a global research programme investigating sustainable diets and the role of agricultural biodiversity in improved nutrition and health, the incumbent will work with partners, stakeholders at the global, national and local levels in implementing the strategy and research agenda in nutrition. Based at Bioversity's headquarters in Maccarese near Rome, Italy and reporting to the Leader of the Nutrition and Marketing Diversity Programme.

Please find more information concerning responsibilities, qualifications, application procedures and contact details in the attached document.

Please apply online through Bioversity Job Opportunities web page by clicking the "Apply" button, completing the online application and attaching the required information. The closing date for the vacancy is 5 May 2013, but applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

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Vacancy: Helen Keller International - Experienced Program Coordinator

Helen Keller International is seeking an experienced Program Coordinator to lead its Enhanced Homestead Food Production program.

HKI's Enhanced Homestead Food Production (EHFP) program has helped communities to establish technically-improved local food production systems by creating gardens yielding micronutrient-rich fruits and vegetables year-round, complemented with poultry and small livestock production and nutrition behavior change communication. HKI has received funding to expand this program to four countries in Africa and is seeking an experienced Program Coordinator to lead this program whose goal is to strengthen the capacity of the agricultural extension services and establish and build community capacity for demonstration farms in state-of-the-art homestead food production, small animal husbandry activities and behavior change communication (BCC) for essential nutrition actions (ENA). This program aims to create the conditions for scale-up and replication while documenting and disseminating important lessons learned. The position is based in Dakar, Senegal with international travel.

Please find the full job position attached.

Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to hkihr@hki.org noting the position title in the subject line.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

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Conference: Capitalizing on the Power of Science, Trade, and Business to End Hunger and Poverty

The Global Food Security Symposium 2013 will focus on how to mobilize science, increase trade, and capitalize on the power of business to alleviate chronic malnutrition and poverty to meet future food demand. The Chicago Council also will release a study that defines priorities for the next phase of the US government's global food security strategy. Please find the preliminary agenda for the event attached.

When: May 21, 2013, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Where: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington, DC.

EVENT COCHAIRS
Catherine Bertini - Executive Director, UN World Food Program, 1992-2002.
Dan Glickman - Secretary, US Department of Agriculture, 1995-2001.

Note: the registration deadline has been extended to Tuesday, May 14. Advance registration is required. Please register online. No walk-ins will be accepted. Space is limited. Please contact Laura Sosa with questions via email at laura@cmpinc.net or by phone (+1.703.536.4992).

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Save the Children - 14th State of the World’s Mothers Report

Save the Children launched the 14th annual State of the World's Mothers Report. Every year, this flagship report shines a light on the most challenging issues facing mothers and children and includes the Mother's Index which shows where mothers and children fare best and where they face the greatest risk of mortality.

This year's report focuses on the critical first day of life. More than 1 million babies die on the day they are born- making the birth day the most dangerous day for babies in nearly every country, rich and poor alike.

The report highlights approaches that are working to bring essential health care to the hard-to-reach places where most deaths occur. And it shows how millions more lives can be saved each year if we invest in proven solutions and help mothers do what's best for their children.

Finally, the report concludes with calling political leaders to take national and international action to step up efforts to tackle newborn, child and maternal mortality through:

Strengthening health systems so mothers have greater access to skilled birth attendants;
Fighting the underlying causes of newborn mortality, especially gender inequality and malnutrition;
Investing in low-cost solutions that can dramatically reduce newborn mortality;
Increasing commitments and funding to save the lives of mothers and newborns;

Please find the full report here.

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