Islamabad, Pakistan - A 9-member delegation of high-level government officials and members of the Afghanistan Food Security and Nutrition Agenda (AFSeN-A) participated in an international training workshop in Islamabad for examining innovative approaches to improving food security and nutrition utilizing the Kaleidoscope model.

The Kaleidoscope model examines how food policies evolve as they respond to a results-based agenda in which practitioners are judged by their progress towards meeting specific targets, objectives and goals.

The training focused on identifying ways for adoption of multi-sectoral and inter-ministerial governance to help improve food security and nutrition by presenting case studies of current policy processes and attempted reforms. The blockages to change and necessary conditions for progress were also highlighted to support the shared commitment by governments and other organizations to Sustainable Development Goal 2: ‘End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture’.

The delegation from Afghanistan was led by H.E. Nasrullah Arsalai, Director General of the Afghan Council of Ministers’ Secretariat.  Pakistan’s participants came from the Federal and Sindh governments – which have recently, respectively, adopted a National Food Security Policy and an Agriculture Policy. Delegates from other provincial departments were also present.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Pakistan and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) jointly organized the workshop under the Food and Nutrition Security Impact, Resilience, Sustainability and Transformation (FIRST) Programme with the support of the European Union.

FIRST is a partnership programme between the European Union and FAO. FIRST provides governments in over 30 countries with policy assistance and capacity development support to review current policy and institutional frameworks for food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture.

Ms Mina` Dowlatchahi, FAO Representative in Pakistan said: “This collaboration is a welcome step for driving policy change to improve food security and nutrition in the region. It provides space for exchanging knowledge and experience on policy analysis and coordination mechanisms for adopting a multisector approach to advance the food security and nutrition agendas. It also builds capacity of professionals for evidence-based monitoring systems and development of action plans that will take into account gender inclusiveness and sustainability.”

Afghanistan has very recently adopted the Afghanistan Food Security and Nutrition- agenda (AFSeN) and joined the Scaling-up Nutrition (SUN) Movement. The training guided diagnostic review of policies and regulations to contribute to the Political Economy Analysis and guide the nutrition-sensitive food system with investment needs of Afghanistan to ensure evidence based informed decision-making on Nutrition-sensitive Food System Policy in Afghanistan.