On 1 April 2016, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, through its Resolution 70/259, proclaimed 2016–2025 the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (hereafter referred to as Nutrition Decade). Under the normative framework of the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Nutrition Decade marks a new ambition and direction in global nutrition action to eradicate hunger and malnutrition in all its forms and reduce the burden of diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in all age groups.

FAO and WHO have drawn upon feedback from many stakeholders to produce the first draft work programme of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition. This work programme is a living document and is being developed through an inclusive, continuous, and collaborative process, building upon and connecting the independent initiatives of governments and their many partners.

From 30 January to 26 February 2017, UNSCN facilitated an online consultation to comment on the first draft of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition’s Work Programme (available in all six UN languages here). This opportunity was the first chance to comment publically on the text and help shape the agenda that followed, including during the CFS OEWG on Nutrition meeting on 10th February and the informal briefing of Member Countries on 27 February 2017. The FAO and WHO will produce a final work programme of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition to discuss with their Member States during the World Health Assembly (May 2017) and the FAO Conference (July 2017).

The online consultation was available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish on the FSN Forum website. The valuable contributions received are captured in the proceedings from this discussion.