Towards country-specific SMART commitments for action on nutrition

Vision

A common vision for global action to eradicate hunger and end all forms of malnutrition was defined by the ten commitments of the Rome Declaration on Nutrition and the accompanying 60 recommended policy options and strategies in its Framework for Action which were adopted at the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) in November 2014.

The implementation of the ten commitments through the use of the ICN2 Framework for Action will contribute to ensuring accountability and monitoring progress in achieving the World Health Assembly six global nutrition targets 2025 and the nutrition-related voluntary global noncommunicable diseases targets.

Following the recommendation in the Rome Declaration, the United Nations (UN) Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016–2025) was declared by the UN General Assembly in April 2016. The UN Decade of Action on Nutrition offers a unique opportunity to all countries and stakeholders to unite around a common framework and to increase the visibility, coordination, efficiency and effectiveness of nutrition action at all levels across the world.

Set, track and achieve country-specific SMART commitments for action

As part of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition and Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) follow-up process, governments are considering the appropriateness of each of the 60 recommended policy options and strategies of the ICN2 framework for Action against their national needs and conditions.

The next step is to translate the selected policy options and strategies into country-specific commitments for action, in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and various regional strategic frameworks.

The process to set specific commitments and track their progress to improve nutrition is supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Commitments that are SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound – help all stakeholders understand what action is intended and improve tracking.

In this context, FAO and WHO are preparing a resource guide to assist countries in translating the 60 recommended actions into country-specific SMART commitments for action on nutrition. Country-specific commitments for action will vary across countries as they would reflect national priorities and depend on the country’s nutrition situation, and current food and health systems.

The UN Decade of Action on Nutrition