Stineke Oenema
nutrition
Stineke Oenema is the first Executive Secretary of UN Nutrition since the establishment of the 1st of May 2021. Prior to that she was coordinator of the UN System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN) from 2016-2021. Central to her work is coherent and consistent nutrition policy, advocacy and programming in the UN system at both global and country levels. From 2003 – 2015 she worked for an international operating NGO, being in charge of food and nutrition security policy and program development. Internationally and nationally, she chaired and facilitated several networks and multi-stakeholder groups. She was member of the editorial board of the UNSCN Nutrition/News and the Right to Food and Nutrition Watch. As member of the first Independent Expert Group, she supported the development of the Global Nutrition Report during its initial years. She briefly worked at Wageningen University. In her early career she worked several years for FAO and UNICEF in Ghana, Vietnam and Latin America. Stineke is nutritionist and agricultural economist.
Stineke Oenema
Message from the facilitator
Dear participants,
The e-consultation on the Nutrition Decade has come to a very successful closing. We thank you warmly for your engagement and thoughtful contributions. In addition to the ideas and proposals directly provided to the FSN Forum platform, 185 participants from 60 countries from all over the world offered their insights by answering the online survey. The survey results will be compiled and made soon available at the FSN Forum and at the UN Nutrition website.
The joint FAO/WHO Secretariat of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition will review and take full consideration of your opinions when revising table 1 of the Nutrition Decade’s Work Programme for the remaining years of the Nutrition Decade, to accelerate nutrition actions by Governments and relevant stakeholders.
Some of you asked for some stronger UN voice and more coordination leading to joint UN positions on key global emerging issues that impact nutrition. UN Nutrition will work on your needs and requests soon, so please stay tuned. If you are not yet a subscriber of UN Nutrition, we would like to encourage you to do so and sign up for UN Nutrition e-newsletter and e-alerts.
Thanks again and we look forward to a continued dialogue with all of you as we move forward in UN Nutrition.
Stineke Oenema
UN Nutrition Executive Secretary
Stineke Oenema
Message from the facilitator
Dear participants,
Thank you very much for your contributions so far. Many insightful comments have been provided on the proposed Nutrition Decade’s priority focus areas for the next five years. We also received great contributions through the online survey. More than 80 participants from 38 countries from all over the world answered the questionnaire to date, and offered their insights there.
Participants have highlighted the relevance of the aspirational proposals but also important gaps such as the need to enhance “nutrition sensitivity” in programs from diverse sectors and to suggest concrete means to achieve that. Also highlighted were the unequal power relations between stakeholders and the need to ensure human-rights based approaches are adopted, marginalized populations participate in decision making, and the second half a Nutrition Decade becomes a truly people centered effort. Participants indicated the crucial importance of being clear about the social and environmental determinants of health and nutrition and the ways of addressing those, also mentioning population growth in same areas of the globe as the elephant in the room.
Among several interesting contributions, there has also been mention of the importance of fully considering food cultures in nutrition action and the additional work needed on regulations of food marketing, labeling and taxes of unhealthy foods. Many participants also called attention to the fundamental need for good governance for nutrition, including for the effective management of conflict of interest.
I encourage all participants to continue the conversation and new participants to engage in this dialogue based on the several questions listed above and/or by answering the short online survey. We particularly welcome views and perspectives from stakeholders from low- and middle-income countries working at regional, national, sub-national and hands-on at service delivery level on how the Nutrition Decade can bring a renewed energy to the wider nutrition ecosystem in the next five years.
Finally, it was encouraging to see from the contributions received that you are requesting more ambitious actions to improve governance for nutrition to ensure effective and structured collaboration, going beyond the usual call to break down silos and ensure cross-sectoral work.
Yes, we must act together now to improve nutrition leaving no one behind.
Thanks again and we look forward to a continued fruitful discussion over the coming weeks.
Stineke Oenema
UN Nutrition Executive Secretary