1. Do you have any general comments on the draft Framework for Action?
Save the Children would like to thank the organisers of ICN2 for drafting the Framework for Action (FFA) and for the opportunity to provide comments.
Save the Children supports the focus of the FFA on “malnutrition in all its forms”. It would be helpful if this principle was applied throughout the document.
Save the Children feels that the draft FFA contains lots of background information that is not essential to include. Instead, the FFA should be concise and point to other relevant initiatives, documents and organisations.
Save the Children feels that the FFA should build on existing infrastructure and systems for nutrition. For example, the FFA should detail how it will work with and complement the efforts of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement and the Global Nutrition Report.
The draft FFA as it stands contains too many priority actions. While Save the Children believes that urgent action on nutrition is required, we are concerned that the large number priority actions listed in the FFA will discourage member states from signing up. We would also like the priority actions to be clearer and timebound to improve accountability for commitments.
ICN2 is taking place one year ahead of the post-201 5 development agenda (hopefully) being agreed. The FFA should acknowledge that ICN2 is happening in the context of the development of the post-2015 agenda and there should be greater overlap between ICN2 and the post-2015 development agenda outcomes.
Do you have any comments on chapter 1-2?
Chapter 1
Save the Children is interested to learn more about the ‘Decade of Action on Nutrition’. As stated above, we believe that urgent action is required to address malnutrition. Details of exactly what this will involve should be included in this document.
We strongly support the alignment of the FFA with the WHA nutrition targets. This is a very important component of the FFA.
Chapter 2:
In addition to the four key elements of the enabling environment listed, we would add the need for strong and transparent accountability mechanisms to be in place.
Under ‘2.2 Better governance for nutrition’ we support the priority actions around establishing cross-government, inter-sectoral governance mechanisms and also multi-stakeholder platforms. ICN2 is a chance to bring together relevant government ministries to work on nutrition. This should be a priority of the conference.
We support ‘Priority actions for financing for improved nutrition outcomes’.
Chapter 3
We welcome the inclusion of both direct and nutrition-sensitive interventions in chapter 3, however we feel that the current layout is a little confusing and there are too many priority actions. We suggest prioritising commitments towards direct nutrition interventions and also the need to review and integrate nutrition into other relevant sector policies, such as agriculture, education, WASH and social protection.
Chapter 4
We strongly suggest that the ICN2 accountability framework be integrated into the Global Nutrition Report and other existing structures, such as SUN and the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition.
The organisers of ICN2, together with other relevant UN agencies, should organise regular follow-up meetings to check progress against the commitments made.
The accountability framework should be developed in the context of the post-2015 development agenda discussions and outline how the two processes will align.
Save the Children believes that the Global Panel proposed in the FFA has a different remit to the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition but this should be clarified.
Save the Children