Reference document nr 13 – " Addressing undernutrition in external assistance – An integrated approach through sectors and aid modalities " - 2011

This document has been prepared by the Nutrition Advisory Service: Dominique Blariaux, Claire Chastre (team leader), Lola Gostelow, Lawrence Haddad, Cristina Lopriore, Yves Martin-Prével and Carlos Navarro-Colorado.

The preparation of the document has been coordinated by, and has benefited from, inputs made by representatives from Germany, Ireland, France, Poland and the United Kingdom as well as various services from the European Commission.

The document is up to now available in French and English. The German and Spanish versions will be following soon.

This Reference Document is intended as a resource to guide the practical incorporation of nutrition objectives into relevant sectors and different funding modalities used by the European Union (EU) — whether in development cooperation or in humanitarian response. It is targeted primarily at aid administrators working within country teams — delegations of the EU and offices of Member States.

The Reference Document has been structured and written in such a way that the chapters can be read independently. The only exception to this is humanitarian assistance, because there are no absolute divisions between emergency nutrition interventions and development interventions. To ensure sustainable progress on nutrition and save lives, there is a need for contiguity between nutrition emergency action and development. The critical requirement, always, is to ensure that the situation is analysed as fully as possible to determine the best course of action.

Chapter 1 provides an overview of the consequences of undernutrition, the scale of the problem and its causes.

Chapter 2 provides a detailed description of how nutrition benefits can be realised by adapting the design of programmes in all relevant sectors and thematic areas

Chapter 3 provides guidance on how nutrition concerns can be integrated throughout the various programming phases

Chapter 4 provides guidance for addressing nutrition through two broad categories of aid delivery methods: general/sector budget approaches and the project approach.

At the core of the EU Reference Document on Addressing Undernutrition in External Assistance is a call to join up action – joining analysis and evidence to action; joining different levels of causes in order to sustain improvements; joining efforts across different sectors to build coherence; joining government aspirations and efforts to external support; and joining shorter-term investments to longer-term progress.

In time, it is also hoped that this Reference Document will support on-going efforts to join up the approaches and priorities of the EU’s aid institutions across its Member States, thereby creating international momentum to combat undernutrition once and for all.