The Transform Nutrition (TN) research consortium, in support of Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN), has launched a new initiative, the Nutrition Champion Awards. With the aim of sharing local experiences of scaling up nutrition and recognizing leadership, the award searches for the unsung heroes working in the nutrition development field. Nominations have now closed for the awards, and the finalists, who will be invited to the Third Annual Meeting on Scaling Up Nutrition in New York this September, will be announced at the end of the month.
Transform Nutrition is a consortium of international research partners using research-based evidence to inspire effective action to address undernutrition. With an aim to push nutrition further up the political agenda, it is expected that effective action will be increasingly carried out to improve nutrition globally.
Scaling Up Nutrition is global movement with 41 participating countries, who are committed to delivering progress and action to scale up nutrition. Founded on the principle that all people should have the right to food and good nutrition, SUN is encouraging country leaders to put a focus on food policies, implementing shared nutrition goals and mobilizing resources.
Over 50 nominees were entered into the competition, and through a selection process, they will be shortlisted to have their stories told and published on the TN and SUN websites. By the end of this month, a panel of five judges will shortlist ten case studies before announcing the three final winners. They will be invited and financed to attend the Third Annual Meeting on Scaling Up Nutrition at the U.N. General Assembly in New York on the 23rd and 24th of September. Here, they will be given the chance to present their stories and ideas to an influential audience.
Stuart Gillespie, CEO of Transform Nutrition said:
“The more we learn about key drivers of the growing momentum on nutrition, the more we understand the pivotal role of leadership. There are many different approaches to getting nutrition onto the development agenda and keeping it there. By identifying local champions in high-burden contexts, and providing space for them to tell their “stories of change”, we hope we can inspire others as well as contribute to our knowledge of what can be done in different contexts.”
The awards are a great opportunity to showcase individuals’ achievements in the nutrition development world and to raise the profile of this issue. Other objectives of the campaign include highlighting the importance of leadership in addressing undernutrition, recognizing the efforts that local leaders have made, and recognizing the success any individual has made in transforming the thinking and action on nutrition.
