UNGA Resolution 70/259 declared on 1 April 2016 called on UNSCN’s coordinating function to support the implementation of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025). From the start, UNSCN stepped up to the request as part of the informal secretariat of the Nutrition Decade, through the implementation of its Strategic Plan 2016–2020 and in accordance with its mandate (see ECOSOC, Institutional arrangements relating to nutrition, 63rd session, E/5968, 26 April 1977).
In 2018, two years into the Nutrition Decade, UNSCN reaffirmed its full commitment to supporting the development, delivery and monitoring of the achievements that come as a result of these efforts. UNSCN has helped to ensure an inclusive, continuous and collaborative process, building upon and connecting the independent initiatives of governments and their many partners. UNSCN carried on sharing the ideas and contributions of all relevant actors through online discussions, events, publications and communication channels. Since it assisted with the development of its Work Programme, UNSCN further helped to facilitate and provide guidance on the implementation of ICN2 outcomes. Vested to the outcome of the Nutrition Decade, UNSCN encouraged all its members to commit considering their specific characteristics and comparative advantages. UNSCN reached out to more UN agencies and bodies and invited them to actively contribute to the Decade. The coordination of these actions by UNSCN will help ensure that the final collective result is greater than the sum of the individual efforts.
UNSCN continued to play a part to ensure that current research covered by knowledge platforms and the academic community are enough to support the intensification of sustainable actions towards the elimination of all forms of malnutrition by 2030. The ultimate goal of this effort is to push the research community to come forward and fill these knowledge gaps. UNSCN also built bridges between the intergovernmental decision-making forums of its members, and that of the Committee on World Food Security, as part of its effort to engage in all relevant fora to ensure that nutrition is mainstreamed. The membership of the UNSCN, attested to the multi-disciplinary nature of nutrition and the increased number of UN agencies committed to make this Decade a success.
UNSCN was guided by the human rights framework, particularly the right to food, gender equality and the realization of women’s rights which are key to achieving the nutrition goals. Inherent barriers exist in food systems that prevent people from overcoming persistent and intergenerational malnutrition and poverty. In order to overcome these barriers and ensure that no one is left behind, systematic analysis of food system dynamics, as well as the various causes of malnutrition, will help assess how equity impacts and is impacted by nutrition. Therefore, UNSCN sustained its efforts to make human rights, equality, equity and non-discrimination remain central to its work.
As the Decade advanced, UNSCN worked to translate the selected policy options and strategies into country-specific commitments for action, in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and various regional strategic frameworks. The Decade of Action on Nutrition continued to guide the work of the UNSCN right up until its merger with the UN Network for SUN into UN-Nutrition in 2020. All of UNSCN's products, events and other actions helped contribute to the Nutrition Decade's success.
Download UNSCN’s official commitment below.