Nutrition Cluster advocacy strategy/framework and toolkit

The development of an advocacy strategy/framework for the Global Nutrition Cluster (GNC) and an advocacy toolkit for country level was identified by GNC partners as a priority in 2012 and reaffirmed in the 20014-2016 strategic objective. A high-level overall strategic direction and focus for GNC advocacy efforts, to ensure linkages with relevant initiatives and provide guidance to cluster partners in developing common messages to leverage impact for nutrition in emergencies (NiE) work, was first outlined at a GNC partner meeting in 2014. An advocacy framework was subsequently drafted by the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) of the GNC in a three-day workshop organised by the GNC Core Team (CT), led by ACF-UK, in July 2015. This workshop brought together the GNC SAG members, the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement Secretariat (SMS) and the GNC-CT to develop the advocacy framework. The final Global Nutrition Advocacy Strategic Framework 2016-2019 has three overall goals:

Goal 1: The effectiveness of the humanitarian response;

Goal 2: Resource mobilisation for NiE;

Goal 3: Foster the accountability of humanitarian and development agencies with respect to preparedness, response and transition to safeguard the nutritional needs of emergency-affected populations by ensuring that the existing expertise and technical capacity on NiE contributes to informing and shaping nutrition policies.

Each advocacy goal is supported by objectives and results, specifying the changes required to contribute to achievement of the overall goal. For each result, the advocacy framework assesses the state of play and key challenges, opportunities and Nutrition Cluster role to date. Sample advocacy activities are proposed for GNC partners to undertake; however the framework also recommends that context-specific activities should be developed further.

The development of the framework was followed by the development of the Nutrition Cluster Advocacy Tool Kit. Its aim is to assist the Nutrition Cluster Lead Agency, UNICEF, Nutrition Cluster Coordinators, Information Management Officers and Nutrition Cluster partners at country and global levels in the development, implementation and monitoring of the Strategic Framework and country-level advocacy activities.

The Advocacy Toolkit is a practical guide that helps the GNC and country clusters to develop, implement and monitor advocacy work in NiE. It provides key questions for reflection, basic advocacy pointers and advocacy tools to support Nutrition Cluster partners through the different stages of the advocacy cycle, with a specific focus on advocacy for nutrition in humanitarian contexts. Country-level Nutrition Cluster and cluster partner advocacy experiences have been used to illustrate the different areas in which advocacy can work.

The Nutrition Cluster Advocacy Strategic Framework is available here.

The Nutrition Cluster Advocacy Toolkit is available here.