Menu ENN Search

Nutrition in Consolidated Appeals Process – a review

In late 2008, the Global Nutrition Cluster commissioned a review of 'How Nutrition is Framed in the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP)' by Tufts University. The report just out (May 2009) examines the ways in which nutrition has been used to make a case for, and design responses to, humanitarian crises in the context of the consolidated appeals process (CAP) from 1992 to early 2009. Based on an extensive desk review, and interviews with key players in the nutrition community, it identifies broad trends in the global appeals process and uses seven case-studies to highlight details that are sometimes county-specific.

There is growing recognition of nutrition as a key element in crisis management, not simply as a measure of how bad things have become. The evolution in thinking is reflected in changes in the consolidated appeals process (CAP).

Since the initiation of the CAP process, a number of important trends can be identified in the treatment of nutrition as a theme and/or sector. These include an increasing distinction between nutrition, on the one hand, and food, water, and health, on the other; the importance of synergies across sectors if the goals of any one sector are to be achieved; and the importance of technical rigor in nutrition assessment and surveys.

More and more countries choose to present nutrition as a priority sector, theme or activity within their appeal. By 2008, the global CAP's mid-year review highlighted nutrition as a separate 'sector' for the first time, on par with education, health and water. This visibility has not only brought more resources to bear on specific nutrition problems and tailored interventions, it has also raised expectations of what nutrition programming can achieve in the context of major emergencies.

It remains difficult to specify how much humanitarian aid is dedicated to nutrition. More disaggregated budgeting that allows for nutrition activities to be specifically identified and tracked would be enormously helpful in assessing how well defined needs are resourced, and how effectively those resources are used.

UNICEF, as lead agency for the Nutrition Cluster, has invested in strengthening its own capacities since 2006, and the cluster has been productive in developing training and guidance aimed at building a stronger cadre of field practitioners around the world. But, the challenge remains huge.

With regard to the work of the Global Nutrition Cluster several key issues were identified that need to be tackled by the Nutrition Cluster including capacity building, enhancing preparedness, and improving data management in the context of assessment, monitoring and surveillance. The review suggests that each of these three areas requires much more investment of effort and resources if the gaps (that remain wide) are to be closed.

While many appeals identify gaps in human and institutional capacity, and increasingly request funding to promote local training and national institution-building relevant to nutrition, the funding necessary rarely materialises.

This suggests that the Cluster should push for priority dialogue with donors on the urgent need to establish human and institutional capacity as essential to more effective future programming during disasters, and a key link between relief operations and longer-term development.

The misuse of terms and misrepresentation of nutrition data has declined in recent years, as terms, thresholds and metrics have become increasingly standardised across the international community. The role of the Nutrition Cluster in this regard has been important. Building on other international activities, the Cluster has helped in formulating guidelines for the preparation of appeals and developed training, assessment and analytical tools. All are needed in improving how nutrition problems are defined and how to make a convincing case for intervention.

Additional information needs, still rarely addressed in the CAP, relate to costs and effectiveness. Clear analysis of cost-effectiveness of different interventions is commonly lacking. Yet this is increasing essential to enable recommendations on optimal ration compositions, targeting and exit criteria, and on the appropriate mix of complementary activities to improve nutrition outcomes.

How Nutrition is Framed in the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP): A Review of 1992 to 2009. Available from the Nutrition Cluster website, visit http://www.humanitarianreform.org/ and click on 'Nutrition'.

More like this

FEX: Inter-Agency Appeals and Needs Assessments

Summary of published report1 Children sleeping rough in Kitgum, Uganda For over a decade, the Consolidated Inter- Agency Appeal Process (CAP) has provided the framework for...

FEX: The use of evidence in humanitarian decision making

Summary of study1 Location: Ethiopia, DRC and Philippines What we know: Decision making in humanitarian response requires timely information and analysis and there are...

FEX: From the editor

Group of women participating in a focus group discussion This is another bumper issue of Field Exchange, with eight field articles and just under 20 research summaries. On the...

FEX: Humanitarian financing for older people and people with disabilities

Summary of study1 A recent study quantifies the funding provided by donors to meet the humanitarian needs of two of the most vulnerable groups: older people and people with...

FEX: Needs Assessment and Decision Making in Emergencies

Summary of published report1 Sorghhum plant hit by drought Researchers from the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) recently undertook...

FEX: Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) scale up: Lessons from Somalia operations

By Leo Anesu Matunga and Anne Bush Leo Matunga is currently the nutrition cluster coordinator for Somalia. He has over 12 years experience working in nutrition in emergencies...

FEX: Dangerous delay in responding to Horn of Africa early warnings of drought

Summary of briefing paper1 According to a briefing paper just released by Oxfam and Save the Children UK (SC UK), the 2011 crisis in the Horn of Africa has been the most severe...

FEX: Impact of maternal undernutrition and childbearing in adolescence on offspring stunting

Summary of research1 Location: Global What we know: Public policy change is needed to improve the nutrition status of populations globally; very little literature exists on...

FEX: A review of barriers to and enablers of nutrition policy change

Summary of research1 Location: Global What we know: Public policy change is needed to improve the nutrition status of populations globally; very little literature exists on...

FEX: Giving voice to silent emergencies

Summary of editorial1 A recent issue of Humanitarian Exchange focuses on 'Silent Emergencies'. According to the editorial, many emergencies do not attract significant amounts...

FEX: Nutrition in emergencies: Do we know what works?

Summary of paper1 Location: Global What we know: Nutrition action in emergencies is well accepted and attracts significant resources. There is a lack of evidence on what are...

FEX: Review of tools developed by the Global Nutrition Cluster

Summary of review1 In 2005, following a review of humanitarian response capacity, the Cluster Approach2 was established by the Emergency Relief Coordinator and endorsed by the...

FEX: A journey to multi-sector nutrition programming in Nepal: evolution, processes and way forward

By Pradiumna Dahal, Anirudra Sharma and Stanley Chitekwe View this article as a pdf Lisez cet article en français ici Pradiumna Dahal is a nutrition specialist with...

FEX: Global Humanitarian Response 2017

Summary of overview1 A recent global humanitarian overview by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) reports that, for 2017,...

FEX: From the editor

While there are at least four distinct thematic areas addressed by articles in Field Exchange 37, there is arguably one cross-cutting issue - namely the tendency towards...

FEX: Aid effectiveness and Vulnerability Assessment Framework: determining vulnerability among Syrian refugees in Jordan

By Hisham Khogali, Lynette Larsen, Kate Washington and Yara Romariz Maasri Hisham Khogali is an independent consultant with 19 years of experience in a range of humanitarian...

FEX: Global Technical Assistance Mechanism for Nutrition (GTAM): The story so far

View this article as a pdf Lisez cet article en français ici By Isabelle Modigell and Tanya Khara Isabelle Modigell is the Project Manager for Global Technical...

en-net: Consultant-Nutrition Cluster Coordinator 13-137

International Medical Corps is partnering with the Global Nutrition Cluster (GNC) to support the established Rapid Response Team (RRT). The purpose of creating the RRT is to...

FEX: Strengthening nutrition humanitarian action: Supporting humanitarian cluster/sector coordination transition

By Peter Hailey and Brenda Akwanyi Peter Hailey is founding Director of the Centre for Humanitarian Change (CHC), a humanitarian think tank based in East Africa. He has over...

FEX: Development of Kenya Food Security Coordination System (KFSCS)

by Robin Wheeler Robin Wheeler has been WFP's Regional Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) Officer for the Horn of Africa based in Nairobi since October 1998. He was the...

Close

Reference this page

Nutrition in Consolidated Appeals Process – a review. Field Exchange 36, July 2009. p17. www.ennonline.net/fex/36/review

(ENN_3939)

Close

Download to a citation manager

The below files can be imported into your preferred reference management tool, most tools will allow you to manually import the RIS file. Endnote may required a specific filter file to be used.