Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS)
The recent ECOWAS Nutrition Forum was a great success. Promoted by the
Western African Health Organization (WAHO) and hosted by the Government of Cape
Verde in Sao Vicente during the period 18 to 22 September. The Forum was opened
by the Minister of Health in the presence of the UN Resident Coordinator of the
first "Joint UN Office" and was attended by some 100 participants, with
delegations from all 13 ECOWAS countries present.
During the course of the Forum delegates discussed the situation in each of
their countries and exchanged experiences on how they were trying to resolve
these problems. The SCN was the convener and facilitator for the Technical
Update Session held on Tuesday 19th September where
11 papers were presented by SCN member
organization representatives (the various papers will be featured in the
December 2006 issue of SCN News (No. 33). During the Group work on Thursday 21st
September the technical focal points, with facilitation from the "SCN team",
discussed the causality of the DRCD and DBM problems as well as a food and
nutrition policy framework needed to tackle these issues, before agreeing on two
sets of actions that they would develop during the next 2 years in each of their
countries and report back on at the next Forum.
On the final day agreement was reached on a
participants' statement which spells out the actions needed at country level
to tackle the double burden of malnutrition in ECOWAS countries, as well as
recommendations to WAHO, to the ECOWAS countries and to the supporting Partners
on the necessary follow up.
It has since been agreed that WAHO should present the results and
recommendations from the Forum at a meeting being organized by the African
Union, where a Regional Nutrition Strategy for Africa will be discussed, in
Brazzaville 4-8 December.
The next Nutrition Forum will be held in Sierra Leone in 2008 and the topic
will be "Food Security and Nutrition" and it is hoped that SCN will once again
serve as convener and facilitator for the technical update session.
More details can be found at:
http://www.pfnutrition.org/article.php3?id_article=37.
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