Sign up for our Newsletter

Nutrition International’s Nutrition Technical Assistance Mechanism (NTEAM), through its Technical Assistance for Nutrition (TAN) project, funded with UK aid from the UK Government, recently supported the Republic of Uganda in the development of the country’s second national multi-sectoral nutrition action plan referred to as the ‘Uganda Nutrition Action Plan’ (UNAP II).

Nutrition International facilitated a consultative and highly participatory process involving multiple government sectors, partners and civil society under the overall coordination of the Office of the Prime Minister. The high level of government engagement, coupled with timely delivery of quality technical assistance by Nutrition International, was lauded by stakeholders as key factors that contributed significantly to the quality of UNAP II and increased potential for ownership by all government sectors and non-state actors.

In July 2019, the SUN Focal Point and key stakeholders focused on developing the strategic direction, implementation framework, and a monitoring and evaluation framework of UNAP II.

The UNAP II underwent a technical validation by the Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Technical Coordination Committee at a meeting on September 3, 2019, attended by 32 stakeholders from nine line ministries. The high attendance demonstrates the depth of engagement, interest and ownership stakeholders have in the UNAP II. It is now ready for official validation by line ministries Permanent Secretaries who make up the government led Implementation Coordination and Steering Committee.

Following validation, the Government of Uganda requested leading in-country nutrition development partners (European Union, Department for International Development, USAID, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization) and Nutrition International to meet and agree on elements that would be essential for successful implementation of UNAP II. These elements were all included in the final version of the UNAP II:

  1. A comprehensive expenditure review, costing, resource mobilization and tracking plan
  2. Monitoring and evaluations
  3. Assessment of institutional and technical capacity, and a capacity development plan
  4. Advocacy, communication, and social mobilization plan
  5. Results, accountability, and coordination plan

Partners are working to mobilize financial resources and technical support needed to successfully implement UNAP II, including NTEAM’s planned support for the development of a capacity development framework through the TAN project, as noted in the elements above. Given the high level of engagement and commitment by many nutrition partners, Nutrition International is looking forward to continued collaboration in Uganda during 2020 to support implementation of the UNAP II.