SCN News No 36 - UNSCN

60
WORKING GROUPS
www.unsystem.org/scn
WORKING GROUP ON CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT IN FOOD AND NUTRITION
Chair: Patrick Stover (UNU), Co-Chairs: David Sanders (Univ. of the Western Cape, SA), Emorn Wasantwisut (Mahidol University, Thailand)
Topics discussed
• Current state of academic and research
institutions in developing regions,
and the need to strengthen
their capacity and sustainability
• Universities’ role in addressing regional
public health nutrition needs
• Lancet Nutrition Series
Working Group mission
The WG’s focused mission, as part of
UNU-FNP, remains unchanged and is
expressed through three goals
1) to assist developing regions enhance
individual, organizational
and institutional capacity in the
area of food and nutrition
2) to undertake research activities
that require global efforts
3) to serve as the academic arm for
the UN System in areas of food
and nutrition that are best addressed
in a non-regulatory, nonnormative
environment.
Recommendations (extract)
• Conduct and publish a comprehensive
review of graduate training
in international nutrition, including
recommendations for curriculum
and cost/benefit analysis of education
in regional versus western universities
• Strengthen south-south collaborations
among training and research
institutions
• Renew efforts towards north-south
collaborations among training and
research institutions
• For countries without nutrition training
institutions, UNU can facilitate
the training of their staff by linking
them with well established nutrition
training institutions in the region
Planned Activities 2008-2009
UNU-FNP Task Forces’ planned
activities are described in the report
For more details please see Working
Group report and presentations at the
SCN Session
SCN NEWS # 36 back to contents
Presentations and discussions 5 March
Patrick Stover gave a brief update on the United Nations University Food and
Nutrition Programme for Human and Social Development (UNU-FNP), and
explained that SCN Capacity Development focuses on Research, Training,
Networking and Advocacy, in particular through Regional Networks of
Universities, Institutes and Research Centers.
Anna Lartey (University of Ghana) gave a presentation on Strengthening
capacity in academic institutions & institutionalizing these efforts for
sustainable faculty and research programs
Arne Oshaug (Akershus University College, Norway) gave a presentation on
Strengthening capacity in academic institutions to serve regional local
food and nutrition programmes (training, monitoring, evaluation,
programme research) for improving public health
Osman Galal (IUNS) presented the Strategic plan for engagement: the
academic network in the Middle East
Comments were given by a UNU-FNP panel (Mirjana Pavlovic,University of
Belgrade; Emorn Wasantwisut, University of Mahidol, Thailand; Azza Gohar
National Nutrition Institute, Cairo; Joseph Ashong, Cornell University, AGSNet)
Conclusions on the state of academic and research institutions in
developing regions and the role of universities: Within universities, the
retention of young faculty is increasingly a challenge due to low salaries,
deteriorating infrastructure, inadequate resources to conduct research, and
increased teaching obligations. North-South collaborations among universities
can be effective in training new faculty and providing resources to seed
research programs for young faculty. Universities play a key role in addressing
local public health needs in the areas of program research, monitoring,
evaluation and training. The importance of integrating context, interdisciplinary
approaches, qualitative & quantitative methodologies, project/programme
cycle, globalization, transitions, policy developments and governance was
emphasized. An assessment of current practices in program research,
monitoring, evaluation and training indicates gaps in addressing many of these
key parameters. The group also recognizes the importance of south-south
collaborations in informing and enhancing nutrition training.
Comments to the Lancet Nutrition Series: The overall sentiment of the discussion
reflected the conclusions reached in the LNS regarding training and institutional
capacities. There was general agreement that there is a shortage of
appropriately trained academics, professionals and technicians in nutrition, and
that current nutrition training and education at all levels does not adequately prepare
new graduates for careers in nutrition. Current approaches to training were
described as “outdated”, “irrelevant”, and not regionally informed with a western
bias. There was less agreement in the WG regarding the value of educating students
from developing regions in American and European universities.
Some useful websites:
• United Nations University Food and Nutrition Programme for Human and Social Development
(UNU-FNP) www.unu.edu/capacitybuilding/foodnutrition/pg.html
• Asian Capacity Building Initiative: Capacity Strengthening In Nutrition-Asia (CASNA)
www.casna.net
• Middle East and North African Nutrition Capacity Building Initiative (MENANA)
www.menana.net
• Network for Capacity Development in Nutrition Central and Eastern Europe
(NCDNCEE) www.agrowebcee.net/subnetwork/ncdn
• African Graduate Student Network (AGSNet)
www.unu.edu/capacitybuilding/foodnutrition/agsnet
• African Nutrition Leadership Programme (ANLP) www.africanutritionleadership.org