HIGHLIGHTS
• In efforts to combat malnutrition in the country, the Government of Sudan joins the Scaling up Nutrition movement.
• In East Darfur, 13,200 displaced people return to Labado village.
• In Central Darfur, 24,000 Sudanese nationals return to Um Dukhun locality from Chad.
• In Darfur, 469 suspected cases of viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF)—including 120 deaths—have been reported in 27 localities.
• Over 198,314 South Sudanese refugees have arrived in Sudan since midDecember 2013.
Sudan joins Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) movement
In efforts to end malnutrition in the country, the Government of Sudan has become a member of the Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) movement, committing to focus on nutrition as a national priority.
According to the Sudan National S3M survey conducted in 2013, global acute malnutrition (GAM) levels in Sudan are at 16.3 per cent, above the emergency threshold of 15 per cent. Over two million children under 5 years are acutely malnourished every year, of whom one in four are at high risk of death. Over the last three years, there has been significant progress in the government’s recognition of malnutrition as a key public health challenge with a massive scale up in treatment. Efforts have been made at the policy level to create the necessary framework for a multi-sectoral, coordinated approach to malnutrition. This includes the development and endorsement of the Nutrition Policy Brief and the National Nutrition Strategy. A national multi-sectoral coordination body in the Higher Council for Food Security and Nutrition, chaired by the First Vice President, has been established.
A preventive approach to malnutrition is crucial to sustain and accelerate results, especially in the most affected states of North Darfur, Red Sea, Kassala, South Darfur and Khartoum. The Government has committed to support the UN Children’s Agency (UNICEF) and World Food Programme (WFP) Nutrition Investment Case plan, which will be launched in the coming weeks. The Nutrition Investment Case plan highlights the benefits of scaling up an integrated package of nutrition, health, water and sanitation, and livelihood interventions to reach 90 per cent of Sudan between 2015 to 2019 with the aim of reducing child deaths, stunting and wasting.
The SUN process began in 2009 with the development of the Scaling Up Nutrition Framework. The movement is a global, multi-stakeholder push for action and investment to improve maternal and child nutrition. Evidence shows that proper nutrition during the 1,000 days between the start of a woman's pregnancy and her child's second birthday is essential in giving children a healthy start at life. Poor nutrition during this period can lead to irreversible consequences such as stunted growth and impaired cognitive development. Improving nutrition is a precondition to achieving goals of eradicating poverty and hunger, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and combating disease, which all contribute to a stronger future for communities and nations.