Guidance Development

Within many of ENNs projects, we support development of guidance to guide practitioners. We may facilitate stop-gap guidance development in response to urgent gaps, such as on nutrition in the context of ebola (prompted through questions on en-net). We may rapidly contribute to collective efforts, such as guidance in the context of COVID-19, as a member of the Technical Alliance. 

ENN staff also contribute to development of normative guidelines and guidance by WHO. ENN plays different roles in WHO processes according to need and expertise required. These roles include Guideline Development Group/technical advisory group expert member, expert observer, meeting rapporteur, guidance developer, facilitator, chair and researcher.

We have contributed to WHO guideline development on breastfeeding counselling, nutrition in the context of ebola, breastfeeding in the context of HIV, Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and wasting guidelines. Sometimes we are commissioned by WHO to develop or co-develop operational guidance to support implementation of WHO guideline recommendations, such as on breastfeeding counselling in emergencies, and HIV and breastfeeding in the context of emergencies.

We contribute to evidence generation, undertaking reviews and case studies commissioned by WHO, including, recently, a scoping review on infants under 6 months to inform the latest WHO 2023 guideline recommendations. We are a member of the WHO Risk Stratification Working Group (WHO-RSWG). We were also an expert group member for the development of the algorithm for a frontline worker app by WHO, currently being piloted.  

ENN currently co-chairs and is a permanent member of the official UNICEF-WHO Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Wasting and Nutritional Oedema (Acute Malnutrition) whose remit includes development of more up-to-date global normative and operational guidance.  Sub-groups on infants under 6 months, moderate wasting and research have ENN specialist representation. 

We currently are contributing (in different forms) to WHO led initiatives across health and nutrition, on small and sick newborns, wasting including infants under 6 months at risk of poor growth and development, and infants under 6 months with feeding difficulties.