United Nations System
Standing Committee on Nutrition

 

Working Group on Capacity Development in Food and Nutrition

held during SCN's 33rd Session, Wednesday 15 March, 1300-1600 hours, Geneva

Chair: Patrick Stover (UNU)
Co-Chair: David Sanders (University of the Western Cape, South Africa)

 

Report/Planned Activities

1. Introduction

The WG’s focused mission, as part of the UNU Food and Nutrition Program, remains unchanged and is expressed through three specific goals: (1) to assist developing regions enhance individual, organizational and institutional capacity in the area of food and nutrition, (2) to undertake research activities that require global efforts, and (3) to serve as the academic arm for the United Nations System in areas of food and nutrition that are best addressed in a non-regulatory, non-normative environment.

2. Capacity Development in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) Counties

  • A 3rd Network meeting for a capacity development in nutrition in Central and Eastern Europe is planned for 16-17th November 2006 in FAO SEUR in Budapest. Presentation of two specific themes is suggested, one being the ‘the human right to food’. The preparation of 1 or 2 proposals for funding of the Network activities and priorities will be identified. Attendance by February group plus 2-3 universities is anticipated.
  • A Socrates application will be submitted by March 2007. The Socrates programme provides 3 years of funding and will have a budget of Euro 250.000.
  • Assure adequate involvement in new EC-programmes: EuroFIR, valid for Serbia (MP), Romania (CP), Macedonia (ZD), Bosnia & Herzegovina (AF), Hungary (LB, MV). Activities planned with Harmong, NuGO and European Federation of the Associations of Dieticians (EFAD)
  • Curriculum development. Increase participation in existing post graduate courses: (VLAG)*, Food databases, epidemiology (Florence), The right to adequate food (Norway) and find coverage for travel costs and accommodation. Initiate specific tailor made editions for C. E Europe from existing courses as already done by EuroFIR for FoodComp.
  • 4th meeting of the core group can be planned in second half of 2007 depending on go/no-go for Socrates programme(s)

3. Planned Activities from other regional task forces and groupings

a. Southern African Capacity Development Task Force, David Sanders, University of the Western Cape.

  • SANCADI will soon appoint a coordinator who will work under the guidance of the leadership of SANCADI to:
  • Undertake rapid audit of CD activities on nutrition programming and advocacy
  • Select institutions/ organisations to facilitate and support on-going CD (eg using UWC manuals/modules, RCQHC Tanzania)
  • Disseminate the learning module developed by RCQHC on Nutrition and HIV/AIDS
  • Evaluate effectiveness of/disseminate current CD approaches to Food Security challenges (eg WHO/FAO/UNICEF course )
  • Assess and improve current practice at 1st level (district) hospitals on Management of severe malnutrition in selected countries (eg using WHO 10 steps plus RUTF)
  • Develop an advocacy and marketing strategy for SANCADI

b. Asian Capacity Development Task Force, Emorn Wasantwisut, Mahidol University.

  • CASNA will host the training course at CFTRI, Mysore, India on ‘Capacity Building in Food Safety in Nutritional Outreach’ during April 3-7, 2006.
  • CASNA will co-host and participate in the Capacity Building International Symposium at CFTRI, Mysore, India during June 23-25, 2006.
  • A potential joint workshop on ‘The New Growth Reference Standards’, to be organized by WHO/SEARO in collaboration with CASNA, is being explored for late 2006. Travel awards will be granted to support regional participants to attend leadership training: SEA-NLP in Indonesia in 2006 and 2007.
  • The CASNA website will be expanded to include updated information on international capacity development activities and available resources.

c. Latin American Capacity Development Task Force, Ricardo Uauy, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile & London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

  • A two day workshop of the NRCD WG, April 20-21 is planned to discuss alternative strategies to carry out the project already written and to establish a complementary WG dedicated to Infant Obesity.
  • During the SLAN Congress in 2006, all WG coordinators will participate as expositors at specific Symposiums. Presentations of the results of the Network projects will also be made.
  • A third Steering Committee (SC) Meeting is planned as a parallel activity. WG coordinators will be asked to present their yearly report and coming year (2007) activities to the SC.

d. Middle Eastern Development Task Force, Azza Gohar , National Nutrition Institute, Cairo.

  • Continue ongoing efforts in food fortification especially (flour) in countries still not fortifying (e.g., Egypt, Libya, Yemen).
  • Monitor Food & Nutritional Status in the Region. Sensitive indicators have been provisionally selected and training activities on data collection and analysis are planned, as is the creation of educational materials.
  • Develop a regional website & database that includes Nutrition Status Indicators, Human Resources and Publications.
  • Develop a nutrition curriculum for undergraduate medical & paramedical students, professors (doctors & nurses).
  • Capacity Building of Human Resources: upgrade regional and NNI staff in statistical analysis mainly to predict & look at risk factors.

e. The African Nutrition Leadership Program (ANLP), Fre Pepping, Wageningen University.

A series of activities are planned to build resource capacity for providing quality technical assistance to HIV/AIDS programs.

  • orientation and training in the review of nutritional care and support interventions and identification of promising approaches;
  • field reviews of programs in their countries and identification and documentation of promising approaches in nutrition and HIV/AIDS (reviews are conducted by two-person teams comprising a university instructor and a program manager); and
  • compilation and dissemination of promising approaches in a compendium, publication of articles on nutrition and HIV/AIDS in local newspapers, and if possible publication of review results and key approaches as a special edition of a peer reviewed journal.

These activities will build advocacy and technical skills, as well as leadership roles, among the resource persons.

f. African Graduate Student Network (AGSNet) , Joseph Mensah-Homiah, Cornell University.

  • A meeting is planned for Morocco in 2007 which will coincide with the Federation of African Nutrition Societies (FANUS) meeting.
  • Liaising with various organizations to provide access to journals
  • Creating an e-group or discussion board for members of the Network to discuss issues of interest including the nutrition situation in Africa
  • Sharing of information as regard to fellowships, job opportunities, short-term consultancies, conferences, scholarships, internships, etc.
  • Sharing of issues on cutting-edge research; sharing of experiences from programmatic activities that may not be found in journals. Such linkages will assist in keeping the research agenda (of AGSNet members) relevant to the needs of Africa;
  • Reaching out to graduate students with the aim of doubling the membership by 2007; country members plan to organize educative programs/activities in dealing with nutrition and infection.
  • AGSNet has made arrangements with the Collaborative Crop Research Program of the McKnight Foundation based at Cornell University, and the enLINK initiative of the Nestlé Foundation to provide and/or inform its members about access to papers published in some of the high impact nutrition journals.

Discussion

The discussion centered around several themes including the expansion of the capacity network to include additional countries; challenges in sustaining the African task force sites when key leaders are constantly recruited out of Africa into international, governmental and non-governmental agencies and when financial support of African academic institutions continues to erode; inclusion of professional societies within task force activities and the possibility of creating a Capacity Development site on the SCN web site to enable international organizations to identify capacity leaders as advisors.

David Sanders
Patrick Stover
March 15, 2006