Nutrition panacea to achieving SDGs- Group

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Coordinator Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Gerda Verburg, has said good nutrition is integral to achieving all the Sustainable Development Goals.
She stated this in a statement signed by Communications Officer, Civil Society scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS- SUNN) Lilian Ajah-mong and made available to the media at the end of the 2017 Scaling Up Nutrition Global Gathering in Abidjan.
Verburg who was speaking at the 2017 Scaling Up Nutrition Global Gathering in Abidjan said progress has been made on under nutrition, but more needs to be done.
“The SUN Global gathering is for us to inspire each other and about getting the food systems right. Nutrition is important for education, nutrition is important for health, nutrition is important for the economy and to improve the GDP.
“We need to find instruments to build collaboration focused on impacts and results and to build partnerships with the private sector. The challenge of under-nutrition and obesity is one that behoves on us to build bridges between countries dealing with these issues to address them” she said.
The statement further stated that UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, who serves as Chair of the SUN Movement Lead Group said “To end malnutrition in all its forms, we need to expand our work – including by deepening our focus on children trapped in humanitarian emergencies and addressing the growing obesity epidemic that disproportionately affects the most disadvantaged children in every society – and integrate our efforts with other development sectors, breaking down the silos that limit our progress.”
In his remark CS-SUNN’s Project Director (CS-SUNN), Beatrice Eluaka who contributed to a Plenary Session on how Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and the Learning system can shape the SUN Movement opined that the learning route Rwanda which brought together representatives from Civil Society Alliances in Africa has stimulated cross border exchange of information, knowledge, innovations, integrated approaches across African counties towards addressing malnutrition.
The Scaling Up Nutrition Movement recently gathered more than 900 participants from 60 countries including Nigeria, spanning government, academia, civil society, the United Nations and the business community recently in Abidjan for the 2017 Global Gathering to review progress in tackling malnutrition and share innovations and best practices to drive progress.