Cebu City - The Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) has shown its glow again in Central Visayas as the networks at the sub-national level held two meetings in a row in the first semester of 2022 alone. The first was held on the 30th of March 2022 via zoom conference and the second on 27 April 2022 at the Performing Arts Lab 1, Cebu Doctors’ University, Cebu City.
The SUN Network meetings aimed to firm up the networks’ programs, projects, and activities for 2022 that will contribute to the achievement of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition objectives as part of the networks’ engagement and commitment to the SUN Movement.
The meetings were attended by the members of the three (3) networks at the sub-national level which includes SUN Academe, SUN Business, and SUN Civil Society Alliance. Several business sectors, universities, and private sectors joined the said meetings. Each sub-national network was able to come up with its proposed Central Visayas SUN strategies, projects, and activities to support the Regional Plan of Action for Nutrition (RPAN).
The SUN Academe major agreement was to ensure SUN governance by promoting regional leadership and government responsibilities, aligning resources, and strengthening mutual accountabilities. Part of the plan is to develop and align shared priorities in Central Visayas for action as well as build and strengthen regional capacity with technical assistance, research, and knowledge management.
On the other hand, the SUN Business will focus on conducting nutrition education, food safety analysis, and food fortification as well as school feeding programs and recruit more members under SUN Business Network.
Whereas the SUN Civil Society Alliance shall prioritize advocacy, communication, and harmonizing nutrition messages, develop more policies and work towards reformation/realignment of their activities with the decided regional SUN priorities. It was also approved that the network shall help in planning, implementing, and evaluating nutrition-specific and sensitive programs. Hence, they will be active in the formulation of the new RPAN 2023-2028.
During the first meeting, an overview of the Regional Plan of Action for nutrition 2017-2022, initial plans were discussed as well as the terms of reference for each network. A follow thru meeting for each sub-national group was finalized and subsequently happened on 27 April where a thorough conversation of the plans, programs, and specific activities of each network as well as the election of the Vice-Chairs and members of the core group. The Chairs of each network were elected during the launching of the SUN 3.0 Strategy last year.
The meeting was attended by fifty-seven (57) and forty-eight (48) participants, respectively who all committed to engaging in the plans laid on, investing part of their resources for the movement, and inspiring each other. With the Central Visayas SUN Networks fully organized and plans firmed up, the CV SUN Secretariat is hopeful that these efforts will help illuminate the importance of nutrition as a common agenda for achieving improved nutrition in the region. // PNFP Mary Bliss Joy P. Iguana, RND
