Training and meeting plans
Regional Meeting on IFE
The ENN co-faciliated a regional orientation workshop on infant and young child feeding in emergencies on 10-13th March 2008 in Bali, Indonesia. The theme of the meeting was ‘Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies: Regional Experiences and Challenges in Achieving Optimal Early Response’. This workshop was being organised under the auspices of the Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Global Nutrition Cluster that is led by UNICEF. Within the Nutrition cluster, the main organiser was the IFE Core Group (represented by the ENN), in cooperation with UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office, UNICEF South Asia Regional Office and the Ministry of Health, Indonesia.
The workshop was funded by the IASC Nutrition Cluster and attendance of delegates who are not self-funded has been supported by IBFAN-GIFA and UNICEF. ENN’s role in the workshop was funded by the IASC Nutrition Cluster. ENN’s coordinating role in the IFE Core Group is also supported by USAID/OFDA and CIDA.
The workshop brought 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 were:
- 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.
A press release was issued by UNICEF following the workshop, in response to the pledge for action agreed by the participants.
A report on the meeting will be available mid-April and will be summarised in a future issue of Field Exchange.
