The SUN Website has recently been updated to include in-depth information from across SUN Countries, videos and resources. Check it out here ▶

33 Countries
32 Focal points nominated
30 Countries with established multi-stakeholder platforms
21 Countries reported to have costed nutrition plans already endorsed or being finalized
13 Countries already reducing stunting at an annual rate of 2% and above

Economic arguments for scaling up nutrition are compelling but what it will cost? Two streams of work on estimating the costs for scaling up nutrition are being taken forward within the SUN Movement: (i) Estimating the overall cost of scaling up nutrition in SUN Countries and (ii) Aggregating the cost of implementing national plans for scaling up nutrition.  Learn more ▶

Nutrition launch event in Mali focuses on cross-sector action and commitment to SUN
On 31 January 2013, Mali held an official launch to showcase its activities with UN REACH and the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement as well as to raise awareness on the multi-sectoral aspects of nutrition.

The Minister of Health, Mr. Soumana Makadji with the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Baba Berthe at his side, chaired the opening ceremony. The ceremony also involved senior representation from the United Nations system including the World Food Program, UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization.  Read more ▶

SUN Movement Lead Group Member Ms Helene Gayle and Benin Government Focal Point Jean Tossa brief partners and the media on the importance of nutrition and the SUN Movement
On 21 February 2013, Benin’s  National Council of Food and Nutrition, CARE International Benin/Togo and UNICEF Benin came together to organize an event on the SUN Movement.  SUN Government Focal Point and Director of the Food and Nutrition Council Mr. Jean Cokou Tossa explained the scale of the nutrition challenge in Benin and explained the role of the SUN movement. Helene Gayle, President / Director of CARE USA and SUN Lead Group Member, called on all stakeholders – government, communities, international organizations, NGOs and the donor community to take action and ensure accountability for progress on nutrition.  Read more ▶

Burundi to receive support from the European Union to tackle malnutrition
During a recent visit to Burundi (21-22nd February) EU Commissioner for Development and SUN Movement Lead Group Member, Andris Piebalgs, announced an €18 million new project on food security for the benefit of around 20,000 households and to treat 80,000 undernourished children in the country.

The initiative of the European Union "Accelerate the Achievement of MDG 1c for Burundi 2015" represents a great opportunity to support the commitments of the Government for the eradication of malnutrition and food insecurity. The project activities will focus on: improving the availability and quality of food by supporting agricultural production; improving access to food by facilitating market access and the development of certain agricultural activities - as well as to improve the nutritional status of populations. Read more ▶

National Civil Society Platforms in Ghana and Mali awarded funding via SUN MTPF
National Civil Society Platforms in Ghana and Mali have recently been awarded $375,000 each through the SUN Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF).

The SUN MPTF, established in March 2012 by participating UN agencies and contributing donor partners, is designed to ensure catalytic grants reach governments, UN agencies, civil society and other stakeholders to enable development and implementation of national efforts to scale up nutrition.

National civil society platforms in five other SUN countries, Bangladesh, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger and Uganda, have been awarded over $2.1 million in funds to support their collaborative efforts to scale up nutrition through the SUN MPTF.  Read more ▶

Tanzania hosts NEPAD conference on 'Building capacity to mainstream Nutrition in National Agriculture and Food Security Investment Plans in Africa'
The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), through its flagship program - the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) - is holding a special workshop on nutrition this week (from 25 February to 1 March) in Dar es Salaam, the Tanzanian capital.

Participants from 18 countries versed in nutritional issues, including representatives from Regional Economic Communities (REC’s), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CAADP Country Focal Points, delegates from Ministries of Agriculture, Health, Education, Finance, Civil Society and the Private Sector, are expected at the workshop.

1 million children are at risk of severe acute malnutrition in the Sahel, according to the United Nations
Watch AlertNet’s interview with the UN regional humanitarian coordinator for the Sahel, David Gressly, about preventing malnutrition, building resilience and other priorities for the region this year.

"The world's number one solvable problem" – UN Officials call for Food Security and Nutrition to rise to top of post-2015 Development Agenda
Opening a global consultation in Rome on hunger, food security and nutrition in the post-2015 development agenda José Graziano da Silva, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) declared, "In line with the UN Secretary-General's Zero Hunger Challenge, and in close collaboration with our development partners, we agree that nothing less than the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition is what we should be striving for."  Read more ▶

Ending world hunger must be presidency's goal – a message for the Irish Government
In an opinion piece in the Irish Times, SUN Lead Group Member and Chief Executive of Concern Worldwide, Tom Arnold and co-founder of the anti-poverty campaign, ONE, Jamie Drummond, set out the opportunities in 2013 for Ireland to ensure that its EU Presidency leaves a legacy of progress on malnutrition.  Read more ▶

Making the most of Nutrition 2013: Unity, polity and clarity
Lawrence Haddad, Director of the Institute of Development Studies gives his views on how the nutrition community can ensure that 2013 delivers for nutrition. Read more ▶

Superfood for Babies: How overcoming barriers to breastfeeding will save children's lives
On 18 February, Save the Children launched a new report highlighting the critical role of breastfeeding in tackling malnutrition and preventing child mortality. The report puts forward a series of recommendations – to governments, international institutions and multinational companies – to ensure that every infant is given the life-saving protection that breastfeeding can offer.  Download the report here ▶

To learn about more events taking place in March and throughout 2013 visit the SUN website ▶

UN Standing Committee on Nutrition works with partners to advance thinking in key areas for nutrition
On 4 March, the European Commission (EC), the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement and the United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN) will hold technical meeting on Monitoring Nutrition Results. The meeting is convened in order to highlight the key issues around monitoring progress towards stunting reduction and test the practical feasibility of the methodological approaches being explored.

The UNSCN Secretariat, in close collaboration with WHO and FAO, will also host the "Meeting of the Minds." This four-day event will take place on 25-28 March 2013 in Geneva and will bring together experts and country practitioners from international organizations, research institutions, governments, and nongovernmental organizations working at both global and national level on working on food security and nutrition to help further advance thinking on nutrition-sensitive agriculture. Read more ▶

Hidden Hunger – From Assessment to Solutions, March 6-9, 2013, Germany
Experts from the United Nations, academia, civil society and government across the globe will come together for the first time to join the international congress from the 6th to the 9th of March 2013 at the University of Hohenheim. Their common goal: to bring the crisis caused by a worldwide micronutrient deficiency to the attention of politicians and the general public and to demonstrate which strategies can be used to get the problem under control.  Read more ▶

Scaling Up Nutrition Meeting hosted by European Commissioner and SUN Lead Group Member, Andris Piebalgs, 14-15 March
The meeting will bring together senior representatives of the SUN Movement including SUN Lead Group Members, SUN Country Focal Points and SUN Networks to discuss critical issues for the advancement of nutrition.

CAADP Partnership Platform, 25-26 March, Ethiopia
The African Union Commission (AUC) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency will hold the 9th Comprehensive African Agriculture Development (CAADP) Partnership Platform (PP) from March 25 to 26, to evaluate progress and achievements made in implementing CAADP. The CAADP initiative plays an essential role in improving nutrition across participating countries.

The PP is an annual high-level partnership platform, bringing together key stakeholders such as African governments, policy makers, civil society organizations and farmers’ organizations to assess progress made in implementing the CAADP goals.

 About 200 delegates from Africa and outside the Continent will attend the meeting at the AU’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, which will open on 25 March.  Read More ▶