Multi-sector Nutrition Plan For Accelerating the Reduction of Maternal and Child Under-nutrition in Nepal 2013-2017.

This policy document is a multi-sector national nutrition plan (MSNP). The goal, over the next five years, is to improve maternal and child nutrition, which will result in the reduction of Maternal Infant and Young Child (MIYC) under-nutrition, in terms of maternal BMI and child stunting, by one third. The main purpose is to strengthen capacity of the NPC and the key ministries to promote and steer the multi-sector nutrition programme for improved maternal and child nutrition at all levels of society.
Concerning helping eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, the long-term vision of the multi-sector nutrition plan is to lead the country toward significantly reducing chronic malnutrition so that it no longer becomes an impediment to improving human capital and for overall socio-economic development. MSNP will contribute to attaining its long-term vision and mid-term goal by achieving three major outcomes. Outcome 1: Policies, plans and multi-sector coordination improved at national and local levels. Outcome 2: Practices that promote optimal use of nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive services improved, ultimately leading to an enhanced maternal and child nutritional status. Outcome 3: Strengthened capacity of central and local governments on nutrition to provide basic services in an inclusive and equitable manner. Main strategic directions include: Policies and plans updated/reviewed, and the incorporation of a core set of nutrition specific and sensitive indicators at national and sub-national levels; multi-sector coordination mechanisms functional at national and sub-national levels; Maternal and child nutritional care service utilization improved, especially among the unreached and poor segments of society; Adolescent girls parental education, life-skills and nutrition status enhanced; Diarrhoeal diseases and ARI episodes reduced among young mothers, adolescent girls, and infants and young children; availability and consumption of appropriate foods (in terms of quality, quantity, frequency and safety) enhanced and women s workload reduced; capacity of national and sub-national levels enhanced to provide appropriate support to improve maternal and child nutrition; multi-sector nutrition information updated and linked both at national and subnational levels.
Good governance is critical to achieve the goals of the MSNP. National Planning Committee and local bodies will be responsible for achieving this result and main activities include: Establish/ strengthen secretariat for supporting the nutrition and food security initiatives within the NPC; Establish effective communications to improve coordination; and Form multi-sector nutrition coordination committees at local level in line with the national level nutrition architecture and governance.