UNSCN Strategic Framework

After three decades the UNSCN members considered it was time for the UNSCN to move beyond just advocacy work, and contribute more concretely to the development of harmonized actions for accelerating the improvement of all types of malnutrition and to help achieve the majority of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the country level within the framework of the Millennium Declaration. As stated in the UN Agencies Report of the 31st SCN Session in 2004: "the UNSCN is at a critical junction in its existence, and business as usual will no longer suffice". As a result, the UNSCN Steering Committee reviewed the 2000 SCN Strategic Plan, the UNSCN body discussed proposed updates at the 31st, 32nd and 33rd Sessions.

The new Strategic Framework was approved at the 33rd SCN Session in March 2006 and replaces the former 2000 Strategic Plan. The Framework will guide the development of activities by the UNSCN over the five years period and be reviewed again in 2010.

Download the SCN Strategic Framework.

The separate SCN Action Plan is a rolling five year plan, that will serve to guide the development of more detailed annual work plans, subject of course to funds being raised.

The Strategic Framework describes the principles, strategic elements and key activity areas of the UNSCN:

Principles

The principles which should guide the UNSCN actions include:

Supporting country ownership and leadership of the development agenda
Working within the global development framework (for example Millennium Development Goals)
Promoting human rights based development and good governance
Promoting the integration of nutrition in the national, regional, and global development agendas.

Strategic elements

The main elements of theUN SCN strategy are to facilitate and strengthen synergies in the following areas:

Creating and strengthening political, public and agency commitments
Developing human capacity for nutrition in development and emergencies
Building and maintaining the evidence base, documenting lessons learnt on nutrition in development and in emergency situations
Promoting and strengthening intersectoral approaches and coordinating mechanisms, for harmonizing actions and generating value added in addressing malnutrition
Strengthening planning, programming and budgeting to deliver effective interventions at scale
Monitoring, evaluating and reporting on nutrition trends
Bringing attention to emerging issues and knowledge gaps related to the prevention of malnutrition and problems it causes
Convening ad hoc task forces to resolve specific issues of inter-agency concern.

Key activity areas

In pursuit of these general elements five key activity areas are identified for the UNSCN as follows

Develop and implement a strategy for high level advocacy and strategic communication

Disseminating evidence on the role of nutrition in human development and key nutrition messages to selected decision making bodies and forums
Raising stakeholders awareness of the linkages between malnutrition, poverty and food insecurity, as well as associated vulnerability factors; and the importance of good nutritional status for avoiding sickness and/or recovering from sickness
Ensuring that nutrition is on the agenda of key meetings with senior managers, including governing bodies of constituent agencies.

Track and report on progress towards achieving the MDGs and other nutrition related goals, including nutrition related chronic diseases (NRCDs), in both development and humanitarian aid settings.

Continue with periodic publication of the Report on the World Nutrition Situation (RWNS)
Compile evidence on the contribution of nutrition to MDGs and NRCDs for the RWNS
Ensure the incorporation of relevant nutrition-related indicators in the monitoring and evaluation of progress towards achieving the MDGs, allowing for the identification and monitoring of causes of malnutrition (food security, health and care) within a livelihoods framework.

Facilitate integration of nutrition into MDG related activities at the country level through the UN coordination system

Promote and facilitate country case studies on the integration of nutrition in MDG-related activities
Through its UN agency members, promote and facilitate at country level collaboration of all UN agencies, NGOs/CSOs and Bilateral Partners, for appropriate integration of nutrition into the MDG processes in selected countries
Promote and facilitate the training of persons in selected countries to mainstream nutrition into MDG processes.

Mainstream human rights approaches into the work of the UNSCN

Integration of the human rights based approaches into the thematic working group substantive domains
Promotion of the Voluntary Guidelines and preexisting international instruments for realizing the human right to adequate food.

Identifying key scientific and operational gaps

Identifying emerging issues and filling of knowledge gaps
Accelerating the transfer of the latest knowledge into action to fill the implementation gap.

Join the Agriculture-Nutrition CoP e-group

UNSCN Strategic Framework

Principles

Strategic elements

Key activity areas

Popular Visits

Newsletter archive