The African Union Policy Environment Toward Enabling Action for Nutrition in Africa

1. The African Union Policy Environment Toward Enabling Action for Nutrition in Africa Akoto Osei, Heifer International

2. Changing Policy Environment • MDG to SDG • Equity and inclusiveness • Evidence based solutions • Emphasis on results and impact • A more holistic approach • Emphasis on First 1,000 days of life • Poverty and hunger driven agenda • Need for increased resources

3. What defines enabling environment for nutrition? • Gillespie S, et al: Lancet 2013; 382: 552–69: • A call for more research of what defines enabling environments for nutrition • Consensus on these factors : • Politics and Governance • Knowledge and Evidence • Capacity and Resources

4. Politics and Governance – AU’s Commitment and Leadership • Increasing political commitment & leadership on nutrition

5. Politics and Governance – AU’s Strategies & Policies • Aspiration 1: A Prosperous Africa, based on Inclusive Growth & Sustainable Development. • Goal 1: “A high standard of living, quality of life and wellbeing for All citizens” • Goal 3:“A healthy and well-nourished citizens” • Goal 5:“Modern agriculture for increased production, productivity & value addition”

6. Politics and Governance – AU’s Strategies & Policies • Targets of Aspiration 1 includes: • Reduce proportion of the population who suffer from hunger by at least 80% • Reduce stunting in children to 10% and underweight to 5%.

7. Politics and Governance – AU’s Strategies Policies • 2014 Declared as Year of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition • January 2014: AU Adoption of a Common Africa Position (CAP) on the post-2015 development agenda (SDG); • June 2014: Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihood;

8. The Malabo Declaration Agriculture for 50% of Africa’s poverty reduction Mutual Accountability

9. Politics and Governance – AU’s Frameworks • Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) • Results by 2025: • tangible impact of agriculture on socio-economic wellbeing of Africans – wealth creation; poverty alleviation; food & nutrition security; productive safety nets; and ecosystems and social system resilience.

10. Politics and Governance – AU’s Strategies Policies • June 2014: Declaration on Nutrition Security for inclusive economic Growth and Sustainable Development in Africa • End Hunger by 2025 • Reduce child stunting to 10% and underweight to 5% by 2025 and in particular, focusing on the first 1000 Days as the only window of opportunity

11. June 2015: Endorsed Africa’s Regional Nutrition Strategy (ARNS) • Similar targets as the WHA65.6 • Emphasize the scaling up of the nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive interventions • Stress multi-sector collaboration for better nutrition

12. Politics and Governance –Advocacy & Coordination • July 2010: Endorsed October 30th of each year as Africa’s Day for Food and Nutrition Security • January 2014 endorsed His Majesty King Letsie III of the Kingdom of Lesotho as the Africa’s Nutrition Champion • January 2016: Endorsed March 1 of each year as Africa’s Day for School Feeding

13. Politics and Governance – Advocacy & Coordination • African Task Force on Food and Nutrition Development (ATFFND) • CAADP Partnership Platform • PACA Partnership Platform • Continental SPS Committee • ReSAKSS • AU’s active role in other nutrition & agriculture events

14. Knowledge and Evidence for Nutrition – AU’s Activities • Cost of Hunger in Africa Studies

15. Knowledge and Evidence for Nutrition – AU’s Activities • Sustaining CAADP Momentum Exercise, undertaken in 2012-13 • AU-EU Pan-African Research Programmeon Agriculture, Nutrition and Food Security - Ongoing • NEPAD-FAO led food and nutrition information and knowledge sharing platform - Ongoing

16. Capacity and Resources for Nutrition • Limited capacity for nutrition (in-service & pre-service) Existing nutrition degree programs in West Africa

17. Moving forward • More actions to sustain the current political commitments & momentum on nutrition • Actions needed to translate the nutrition policies to concrete programs – i.e. scale up both the direct and indirect interventions • Continue to include nutrition activities in the Action Plans of CAADP and other Frameworks • Increase resources, including specific funding allocation for nutrition within budgets of AU and other RECs

18. Moving forward • Strengthen nutrition capacity across Africa • Strengthen data systems and information flow • Coordination and harmonization • Much needs to be done on obesity, overweight and nutrition related non-communicable diseases