Reaching the most vulnerable populations through a collective multisectoral approach in times of crises will save lives and play a significant role in reducing and preventing malnutrition, as well as lay the foundations for early recovery and resilience-building. Humanitarian Coordinators lead the Humanitarian Response Planning (HRP) process and play a critical role in ensuring that nutrition is a strategic outcome in response plans, and making sure that coordination is geared towards supporting multisectoral approaches to nutrition. This guidance note for UN Humanitarian Coordinators has been prepared to support them in their leadership in this regard. The paper defines malnutrition and explains why addressing malnutrition is life-saving in emergencies and calls for a multi-sector approach. It also provides an overview of common interventions and terminology.

Note: This publication was developed under the auspices of the United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN), one of the precursors to UN-Nutrition.