Uganda has made progress in strengthening multi-sectoral coordination for nutrition through implementing its Nutrition Action Plan. Key accomplishments include orienting district-level coordination committees, developing nutrition strategies and guidelines, and integrating nutrition into development plans. Regular coordination occurs across sectors led by the Prime Minister's Office. However, challenges remain around sustaining coordination mechanisms long-term given resource needs, maintaining functional capacities as personnel change, documenting evidence of impact, and improving transparency among partners.

1. Workshop on Strengthening Effective
Engagement to Scale Up Nutrition
10-12 June 2015
Nairobi, Kenya

2. Uganda
Functional Capacity Issue: Transparent Accountability
Mechanisms in Implementation of the Uganda
Nutrition Action Plan
2

3. UNAP Coordination Framework
Cabinet Subcommittee
Nutrition Secretariat
Office of the Prime Minister
Food and Nutrition Council
Multi-sectoral Technical
Nutrition Committee
Nutrition Development
Partner’s Committee
Sector Nutrition Coordination Committees
District Nutrition Coordination
Committees
Sub-county Nutrition Coordination
Committees
Policy
Coordination
Technical
Coordination
Decentralised
Coordination

4. Multi-sectoral Platforms
 Joining SUN Movement: committed 2010, signed 2011
 Multi-sectoral Platform (MSP) formed: 2012
 Overall MSP coordination: Office of Prime Minister
 MSP membership: Government, DPs, UN, P/S, CSOs,
Academia
Uganda SUN Networks Fully active / Partially active / Inactive
Government partners active
United Nations active
Civil Society active
Donors active
Business starting
Technical community
(Academia)
partially

5. Accomplishments or Progress
 Embracing the multi-sectoral approach outlined in the Uganda
Nutrition Action Plan- operationalised
 Joint planning (Transparent accountability) has yielded:
 Nationwide orientation of DNCCs (100%, now on to phase 2)
 National Nutrition Advocacy and Communication Strategy
 UNAP M&E Framework
 National Nutrition Planning guidelines
 Nutrition Governance model ( cornell/USAID/UNICEF)
 Integration of nutrition in sustainable development plans (Vision 2040, NDP II)
as a key cross-cutting issue
 Regular coordination mechanism in place (including Cabinet
where PM chairs and PS level)
 Some level of transparency and mutual accountability (round
table to share and agree)

6. How was this achieved
 General global move towards SUN
 Political commitment at highest level and within sectors
 Coordination mechanism provided in UNAP
 Coordination at OPM – the convening mandate
 Commitment and buy–in of partners / stakeholders
 Champions lobbying for MS in various at various levels
 Pre-conditions/ Enabling factors:
 Availability of legal, policy and planning frameworks
 Well developed SWAP mechanism
 Joint Budget Support Framework (JBSF),
 Decentralization policy, with LG assessment frameworks
 National Monitoring and Evaluation policy- Results

7. Challenges and Risks in MS Process
 Sustainability and ‘incentivisation’ of the MS coordination
mechanisms
 Resources to enable sustainable scale up
 Nutrition specific and sensitive interventions in place; what is
the add- on requiring budget
 Functional coordinating capacities
 Core competencies (hard and soft ware), staying in power, rules
of engagement
 HR capacity
 Evidence / documentation of what works, what doesn’t
and what to scale up…
 How do we know the MS is working without waiting for impact
indicators? Evidence for progress
 Transparency still elusive and erratic among partners

8. Thank you!