Regional workshop on IFE in Bali 2008
A three day strategy workshop/one day training on Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies (IFE) is scheduled to be held in Bali, Indonesia on 10-13th March, 2008. This workshop is being organised under the auspices of the Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Global Nutrition Cluster1 that is led by UNICEF. Within the cluster, the main organiser is the IFE Core Group2, in cooperation with UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office, UNICEF South Asia Regional Office and the Ministry of Health, Indonesia. The Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN) as co-ordinator and representative3 of the IFE Core Group is co-facilitating this workshop. The workshop is funded by the Global Nutrition Cluster and by contributions and inkind support of IFE Core Group members.
This strategy workshop on IFE has been identified as a key step to help improve coordination, policy guidance, implementation and response capacity in the region. The focus of the workshop is on emergency preparedness and improving the early response to protect and support IFE. Indonesia was chosen as the hosting country in order to learn from their IFE experiences in the recent tsunami and earthquake responses.
The workshop will bring together participants from a mixture of key government, UN, donor, international and local NGO representatives from 16 countries - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam.
The objectives of the meeting are to:
- Increase awareness of the importance of IFE in the region, including orientation on relevant policy, guidance and key issues in IFE
- Identify key constraints to providing early support and protection for appropriate infant feeding practices in emergencies, and
- Identify strategic directions and practical steps to address these at country and regional levels.
Further information and an agenda are available on the ENN website and from the key meeting contact (below). A summary of the meeting report and of experiences shared at the workshop will feature in future issues of Field Exchange.
For further information, contact: Ali Maclaine, tel (UK): +44 (0)20 8989 5735 fax: +44(0) 1865 324997 email: alimaclaine@btinternet.com or Marie McGrath, ENN, email: marie@ennonline.net
The Operational Guidance on Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies (v2.1, Feb 2007) is now available in Bahasa (Indonesia), Japanese and Chinese, online at http://www.ennonline.net/ife
1http://www.humanitarianreform.org/
2The IFE Core Group is an inter-agency collaboration that comprises UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, WHO, Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN), Action Contre la Faim and CARE USA. It is co-ordinated by the ENN.
3The ENN/IFE Core Group is a member of the UNICEF-led IASC Global Nutrition Cluster on behalf of the IFE Core Group and highlights IFE issues in global cluster activities.
Imported from FEX website