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The first phase of initiating multisectoral planning requires a good understanding of the current nutrition challenges in a country and the overall context within which they can be addressed. Contextual analysis includes a comprehensive analysis of the nutrition situation (the magnitude and nature of malnutrition and its underlying causes), in addition to understanding the landscape for nutrition-related policies and plans and the stakeholders engaged in them.
This module proposes steps that can be taken to contribute to preparations for developing a multisectoral nutrition plan (MSNP). The module is not intended to describe a prescriptive process: it comprises suggestions of analyses which can be used to assess the nutrition context of a country. Some or all of these might already have been done, and others may not be relevant to every context.
It is vital to engage a broad group of stakeholders as early as possible in the process to ensure buy-in and ownership across sectors and stakeholder groups, as well as to ensure that an appropriate and viable plan is developed that is feasible to implement and which a variety of actors are committed to implementing with a shared vision of addressing the key identified issues to lead to desired impact.
 | Key considerations in this process are prioritisation and context-specificity. In most contexts, an MSNP cannot aim to address all the challenges relevant to nutrition, so prioritising the most significant problems is essential. This prioritisation will be defined by the nutrition issues in each country context, as will the approaches to address those problems and the key stakeholders to engage. Efforts to both assess the country context and engage a wide range of stakeholders early in the process will support more effective prioritisation and context-specificity for the later stages of multisectoral planning. |
MODULE 1 OUTLINE
1.1 – Assessing the Country Context (EN, FR, SP)
___1.1.1 – Conducting a Nutrition Situational Analysis (EN, FR, SP)
___1.1.2 – Conducting a Policy Framework Mapping and Analysis (EN, FR, SP)
___1.1.3 – Conducting a Stakeholder Mapping and Analysis (EN, FR, SP)
1.2 – Orienting Stakeholders to Multisectoral Planning for Nutrition (EN, FR, SP)
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Additional guidance to set the stage for multisectoral nutrition
| Resources Doudou MH, Ouedraogo O, Ouaro B, Bidault N, Reinhardt K. Mapping nutrition interventions, a key analytical tool for informing the multisectoral planning process: example from Burkina Faso. Food and Nutrition Bulletin. 2018;39(3):449–464. https://doi.org/10.1177/0379572118782881. Nutrition International. Engaging with Gender Focal Points in Government and Women’s Organizations Locally. Nutrition International: Ottawa; 2020. https://www.nutritionintl.org/content/user_files/2020/04/NI_Engaging-with-Gender-Focal-Points.pdf. Tools SPRING website. Agriculture and Nutrition Context Assessment Tool Locator page. Available at https://www.spring-nutrition.org/publications/tools/context-assessment-tool-locator. Accessed 13 August 2020. SUN Movement Secretariat (SMS). SUN Movement PowerPoint Template. Geneva: SMS; June 2016. Available in PDF (in English or French) or PowerPoint Presentation (in English or French). UN Network for SUN website. Multi-sectoral Nutrition Overview page. Available at https://www.unnetworkforsun.org/tools/multi-sectoral-nutrition-overview. Accessed 02 November 2020. UN Network for SUN website. Policy & Plan Overview. Available at https://www.unnetworkforsun.org/tools/policy-plan-overview. Accessed 02 November 2020. |