ENN has just finalised a new five year strategy, governing the period 2016-2020. Its development was informed by a recent comprehensive evaluation of ENN conducted by a group of independent consultants (Lister S et. al, 2015). The contents have also been informed through the development of a theory of change (TOC) which articulates how ENN expects its activities and interventions to impact on improved nutrition policy and programming (see Figure 1).

This strategy period sees a consolidation of recent changes in ENN’s operations, including a broadening of its focus from populations suffering humanitarian crises to those at high risk of malnutrition (emergency-affected, living in fragile or conflict-affected states, and living in countries with a high burden of malnutrition) and its new role in embedded knowledge management (in the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement and the Global Nutrition Cluster). The thematic areas that ENN works on are already evolving to reflect the changing global context and will continue to keep step with developments over the coming years.

During 2016 to 2020, ENN will implement activities according to three major workstreams:

Workstream 1: Experience sharing, knowledge management and learning. This includes ENN’s core products: Field Exchange, Nutrition Exchange and en-net, as well as embedded knowledge management within two key global nutrition fora (the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement (SUN) and the Global Nutrition Cluster (GNC)).

Workstream 2: Information and evidence on under-researched nutrition issues. This comprises ENN’s research and review work on filling gaps in the evidence base for improved nutrition policy and programming.

Workstream 3: Discussion, cooperation and agreement. This will be made up of a range of activities for discussing and building agreement and consensus on key nutrition issues. It includes ENN’s participation in and hosting of meetings, its activities as facilitator of the IFE Core Group and its participation in the development of training materials and guidance, including normative guidance.

Through its delivery of these workstreams, ENN expects to achieve: (i) an expansion in its network and an increase in their engagement; (ii) the identification of key priority themes and an understanding of their importance; (iii) the enhanced availability of knowledge and know-how in a range of formats accessible to all network members; and (iv) improved consensus on agreed actions and key ways forward to improve nutrition policy and programming.

By achieving these outcomes, ENN seeks to advance its core aim of more effective nutrition policy, programming and institutional architecture.

As such, this five-year strategy represents an evolution rather than revolution from ENN’s current way of working. However, there are a number of innovations that include:

• A commitment to faster dissemination of information and experiences through online publication of articles, reports and briefs, as soon as they are ready;
• The development of SUN Movement specific thematic areas on en-net;
• Increased translation of Field Exchange and en-net;
• Work to further build and sustain the network that ENN both serves and draws upon by increasing outreach; in particular to countries at the national and sub-national level, to increase uptake of ENN products;
• An increased focus on identifying mechanisms to improve uptake of reviews and research in order to increase the use of evidence for policy-making and programming;
• The development of a results framework which goes beyond measuring interventions to assessing progress towards achieving outcomes and impact.

ENN Strategy 2016-2010. Available here. 

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ENN is a charity in the UK no. 1115156, and a limited company no. 4889844.