DELIVERING FOR NUTRITION IN SOUTH ASIA: EQUITY AND INCLUSION – CONCEPT NOTE

Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia: Equity and Inclusion

November 1-2, 2023 (Kathmandu, Nepal & Online)

BACKGROUND

While equality refers to the principle of providing the same resources or opportunities to every individual or group, equity acknowledges that each person has unique circumstances and ensures that the precise resources and opportunities required to achieve an equal outcome are allocated accordingly. Inclusion refers to enhancing opportunities and improving participation in society, particularly for disadvantaged individuals. In the context of nutrition, inclusion involves addressing barriers that may prevent certain groups from achieving adequate nutrition.

Ensuring equity and inclusion in nutrition is crucial for promoting the health and wellbeing of all individuals, irrespective of socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, caste, age, migrant status, education, beliefs, and other characteristics. Despite its importance, inequities in nutrition persist in South Asia.

Various dimensions of equity have significant implications for nutrition. Socioeconomically disadvantaged households are more likely to be undernourished due to resource constraints, lack of information, and limited access to services. Rural and urban households also face different challenges in accessing essential services. Gender inequities contribute to ongoing disparities in the health and nutrition outcomes of women and girls. These inequities manifest in gaps in income and assets between men and women, societal norms that favor the nutritional well-being of men and boys, and women’s restricted decision-making power within their households.

As food systems and nutrition outcomes are interconnected, addressing food availability, accessibility, nutritional quality, food safety, and socioeconomic challenges is key for promoting equitable nutrition outcomes in the region. Understanding the intersectionality of these factors and that not everyone starts from the same point is crucial for promoting equity and inclusion in nutrition.

A growing body of evidence provides insights on delivering nutrition interventions across the life course, focused on equitable coverage with quality. Substantial gains in coverage have been made over the years in South Asia, providing a strong foundation upon which to continue to enhance coverage, accessibility, and inclusivity in systems delivering nutrition interventions effectively and equitably over the lifespan. Nevertheless, persistent gaps and a wide range of disparities warrant greater attention both from research and implementation innovations.

Improving equity and inclusion in nutrition entails identifying solutions to effectively address disparities in the reach and coverage of health and nutrition programs, social safety nets, and access to nutritious diets. A multidisciplinary approach is necessary for understanding and tackling this problem in a holistic way.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), together with CGIAR and a range of co-hosts from across the region and globe, is pleased to announce the next edition of our flagship nutrition conference for South Asia, ‘Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia: Equity and Inclusion.’ This year’s conference will cover a wide range of systems, including health systems, safety nets, food systems, and others, all of which play a crucial role in delivering equitable nutrition outcomes. The conference is scheduled to take place November 1-2, 2023.

Delivering for Nutrition 2023 will be the third regional conference on implementation research, and the sixth overall. This conference will bring together researchers, program implementers and policymakers working in and focusing on South Asia to deliberate innovative ways to transform diets and improve nutrition outcomes for all. Previous Delivering for Nutrition implementation research conferences were held in 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.

The format for this year’s conference will be online and consist of an in-person 2-day conference that will bring together regional and global stakeholders in Kathmandu, Nepal.  National conference partners can host national dialogues following the main conference. This format is subject to change depending on the public health situation in the region.

PURPOSE

This conference will bring together researchers, program implementers, and policymakers working in and focusing on South Asia to deliberate innovative ways to improve nutrition outcomes for all. The purpose is to bring together relevant evidence and stimulate dialogue on improving equity and inclusion among various delivery platforms that affect nutrition, including health and nutrition programs, gender- and social safety net programs and policies, and more.

TOPICAL AREAS

Equity and inclusion cut across multiple topical areas related to nutrition; thus, we are inviting abstracts across five topical areas for this year’s conference:

1. Agriculture
2. Food environments
3. Health systems
4. Diets
5. Social protection

Conceptual Framework

PARTICIPANTS

The conference will convene academics, implementers, development partners, civil society, media and policymakers to share and discuss evidence and experiences on improving equity and inclusion in nutrition in South Asia.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

The discussions and deliberations from this conference are expected to convey research-based insights to nutrition and public health stakeholders and policymakers to bolster actions for more equitable and inclusive reach of solutions to tackle nutrition challenges in South Asia. This conference will provide the foundation for direct engagement on context-specific program and policy priorities that can be taken forward by national stakeholders in their respective countries.