Uganda Nutrition Action Plan 2018-2025.

The Uganda Nutrition Action Plan is a national sectoral plan for the period 2018-2025. Its goal is to end food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition in children under 5 years of age, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, including older persons, by 2030 with a vision of a well-nourished, healthy and productive population effectively participating in the socio-economic transformation of Uganda.
The mission of the Plan is therefore to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition by 2030. To this aim, the Plan's main objective is (1) Increase access to and utilization of nutrition-specific services by children under 5 years of age, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and other vulnerable groups. (2) Increase availability and utilization of nutrition sensitive service by children under 5 years of age, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and other vulnerable groups. (3) Strengthen the enabling environment for scaling up nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive interventions.
The achievement of the Uganda Nutrition Action Plan (2018-2025) targets will be measured through a set of primary and intermediate process and policy capacity indicators.
The key primary outcomes target maternal, infant and young child framework and the prevention and control of non communicable diseases. Details of the individual indicators are provided in the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework which is annexed to the Plan. They include the reduction of anemia in women of reproductive age, of low birth weight, of childhood overweight, of population intake of salt/sodium, as well as the increase of the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months etc.
As far as Intermediate Outcomes are concerned, the Plan sets Strategies and Priority Actions for each of the three main objectives above mentioned. Objective 1 is expected to bring the following intermediate outcomes: a- Improved maternal, infant, young child and adolescent nutrition practices; b- Increased micronutrient intake in children and women of reproductive age; c- Increased coverage of management for acute malnutrition in stable and in emergency situations; d- Increased coverage of nutrition services in disease prevention, control and management of infectious diseases; e- Increased coverage of nutrition services in disease prevention, control and management of diet related non-communicable disease. To this regard a series of strategies are planned, the realization of which is to be obtained through a series of priority actions further detailed by the Plan. Strategy 1.1: Promote optimal maternal, infant, young child and adolescent nutrition practices Strategy 1.2: Promote micronutrient intake in children and women of reproductive age Strategy1.3: Increase coverage of management for acute malnutrition in stable and in emergency situations Strategy 1.4: Integrate Nutrition services in prevention, control and management of infectious diseases. Strategy 1.5: Integrate Nutrition services in prevention, control and management of non-communicable diseases.
As far as Objective 2 is concerned, the expected Intermediate Outcomes are an: a- Increased production, access and consumption of diverse diets, b Increased production and consumption of fortified foods, c Improved access to Social protection programmes with a food and nutrition security objective, d- Improved coverage water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); e- Increased access to classroom education, f- Increased access to integrated early childhood development and child protection services, g- Increased participation of the business sector in scaling up nutrition. These are to be obtained through the following strategies: Strategy 2.1: Promote and increase production, access and consumption of diverse high nutrient value and safe foods. Strategy 2.2: Promote production and consumption of bio-fortified and industrial fortified foods. Strategy 2.3: Promote integration of food and nutrition security services in social protection programmes. Strategy 2.4: Promote integration of food and nutrition programming into water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. Strategy2.5: Promote access to classroom education through school food and nutrition programmes. Strategy 2.6: Promote access to integrated early childhood development and child protection services for improved nutrition. Strategy 2.7: Promote trade and investment for improved nutrition through involving the business community in scaling up nutrition actions.
Finally, Objective 3 seeks to obtain the following Intermediate Outcomes: a- Functional Nutrition governance structures, b- Improved political commitment for nutrition c- Improved behaviors to advocate, partner and commitment towards, common results improved functional and institutional capacity, d- Coherent policy implementation of multi-sectoral nutrition programmes, e- Improved knowledge and evidence for nutrition programming. The Strategies that are put in place for this objective are the following: Strategy 3.1: Strengthen nutrition governance at central and local government levels. Strategy 3. 2: Institutionalize nutrition research and knowledge management for decision making.
The implementation arrangements foresee a coordination structure which is critical to create the necessary enabling environment for scale-up, empowerment and sustainability of interventions.