In this podcast, we speak with Dr. May Win Shwe, the Deputy Director of the Livestock Breeding and Irrigation Department in the Ministry of Agriculture in Myanmar. Dr. May discusses the use and influence of the Compendium of Actions for Nutrition (CAN) developed by the UN Network for SUN Secretariat in consultation with the UN partner agencies. The compendium is a facilitation resource intended to foster multi-sectoral dialogue at the country level. It includes matrices of potential multi-sectoral nutrition actions as well as accompanying narratives and bibliographies. 

The REACH facilitators in Myanmar brought the CAN to the attention of other country actors, appreciating the utility of the tool in breaking down ‘multi-sectoral nutrition’ into concrete terms. They also saw the CAN as a resource to help engage all relevant actors in the nutrition space. 

This podcast complements the article "Applying the Compendium of Actions for Nutrition: Experiences from Haiti and Myanmar" published in Nutrition Exchange, issue 9. Dr. May discusses how the CAN improved her understanding of both nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific programmes. This increased her knowledge of nutrition indicators and aided in prioritising actions. Further, use of the CAN is helping ongoing efforts to formulate the government’s Multi-Sectoral National Plan of Action for Nutrition, and she particularly highlights the evidence-classification as a useful feature in identifying what is achievable in the country.

Dr. Chaw Susu Khaing, a Nutritionist at the World Food Programme, provides translation support to Dr. May.

For further information about the CAN and access to the various CAN materials (e.g. full document, summary), click here. 

You can listen to The Haiti Experience here.