Revised11July2016

MappingExerciseGlobalDataandAccountabilityInitiativesforNutrition

June2016

This report is the output of a mapping exercise on global data andaccountabilityinitiativesfornutrition. Itpresentsa“map”of thenutritiondataandaccountabilitylandscape,fromdataprioritizationandcollection,toitsaccessibilityanduse,notingmajorglobalinitiativesineachareaandhowthey interactwitheachother. It alsoprovidesa summaryofkey findingsthatemergedfromthemappingexerciseandnotespotentialopportunitiesto help make the space more coherent and robust. Finally, the annexincludes detailed profiles on a number of representative initiatives,describingtheirobjectives,majoractivitiesandmodeofoperation.TheexercisewascommissionedbytheSUNDonorNetworkandcarriedoutbyDavidKim,anindependentconsultant,withthefinancialsupportoftheBill&MelindaGatesFoundation.

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TableofcontentsChapter PageIndexofabbreviations…………………………………………………………………………………..2Chapter1:Introduction………………………………………………………………………………...3Chapter2:Mappingthedataandaccountabilitylandscape…………………………….5Chapter3:Keyfindings.………………………………………………………………………………..18AnnexA:OverviewofglobaldataandaccountabilityinitiativesfornutritionAnnexB:Initiativeprofiles

• DemographicHealthSurveys(DHS)• MultipleIndicatorClusterSurveys(MICS)• Standard Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions (SMART)Survey

• GlobalNutritionReport(GNR)• GlobalHungerIndex(GNI)• AccesstoNutritionIndex(ATNI)• InternationalDietaryDataExpansionProject(INDDEX)• GAINFortificationAssessmentCoverageTool(FACT)• NationalEvaluationPlatforms(NEP)• NationalInformationPlatformsforNutrition(NIPN)• IntegratedFoodSecurityPhaseClassification(IPC)• GlobalOpenDataforAgricultureandNutrition(GODAN)• GlobalPartnershipforSustainableDevelopmentData(GPSDD)• GlobalPulse• UNnutritionlandscapeofdataandaccountability

o Normativefunctionso Primarydatacollectiontoolso Globaldatabaseso Trackingandreportingtoolso Initiativestoimprovedatacollectionandaccessibility

• AccountabilityFrameworkfortheGlobalStrategyonWomen’s,Children’sandAdolescents’Healtho GlobalStrategyIndicatorandMonitoringFrameworko IndependentAccountabilityFramework(IAP)o Countdownto2030

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IndexofabbreviationsAGRIS AgriculturalandRuralIntegratedSurveyANI AcceleratingNutritionImprovementsinSub-SaharanAfricaATNI AccesstoNutritionIndexCMAM Community-basedmanagementofacutemalnutritionDHS DemographicHealthSurveysEDGE EvidenceandDataforGenderEqualityeLENA e-LibraryofEvidenceforNutritionActionsFACT GAINFortificationAssessmentCoverageToolFAO FoodandAgricultureOrganizationFCES FoodConsumptionandExpenditureSurveysFIES FoodInsecurityExperienceScaleGIFT FAO/WHOGlobalIndividualFoodconsumptiondataToolGHI GlobalHungerIndexGINA GlobaldatabaseontheImplementationofNutritionActionGNR GlobalNutritionReportGODAN GlobalOpenDataforAgricultureandNutritionGPSDD GlobalPartnershipforSustainableDevelopmentDataHLG High-levelGroupforPartnership,CoordinationandCapacity-

BuildingforStatisticsforthe2030AgendaforSustainableDevelopment

IAP IndependentAccountabilityFramework(fortheGlobalStrategyonWomen’s,Children’sandAdolescents’Health)

IAEG-SDGs InteragencyandExpertGrouponSDGIndicatorsINDDEX InternationalDietaryDataExpansionProjectIPC IntegratedFoodSecurityPhaseClassificationJHSPH JohnsHopkinsBloombergSchoolofPublicHealthLSHTM LondonSchoolofHygieneandTropicalMedicineLSMS LivingStandardsMeasurementStudyMERG MonitoringandEvaluationReferenceGroupMICS MultipleIndicatorClusterSurveysNEP NationalEvaluationPlatformsNIPN NationalInformationPlatformsforNutritionNLiS NutritionLandscapeInformationSystemPARIS21 PartnershipinStatisticsforDevelopmentinthe21stCenturyPEPFAR President’sEmergencyPlanforAIDSReliefSDGs SustainableDevelopmentGoalsSDN SUNDonorNetworkSLEAC SimplifiedLotQualityAssuranceSamplingEvaluationofAccess

andCoverageSMART StandardMonitoringandAssessmentofReliefandTransitionsSOFI StateofFoodInsecurityintheWorldSQUAEC Semi-QuantitativeEvaluationofAccessandCoverageSUN ScalingupNutritionMovementTEAM TechnicalExpertAdvisoryGrouponNutritionMonitoringVMNIS VitaminandMineralNutritionInformationSystemWHA WorldHealthAssemblyWHO WorldHealthOrganization

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I. Introduction1.1BackgroundAs part of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement’s 2016-2020 Roadmapdevelopment process, the SUN Donor Network (SDN) has formed a smallworkinggroupondatagapsand-prioritiesinnutrition.Inordertohelpinformtheworkplanningon this topic, the SDNcommissionedamapping exerciseofthedatalandscapefornutrition,specificallyfocusingoncurrentglobalnutrition-relateddatainitiatives.Theobjectivesoftheexerciseareto:• Presentacoherentmappingoftheglobaldataandaccountability landscape

for nutrition, describing major initiatives and their objectives, keystakeholdersandactivities;

• Contributetoincreasedawarenessamongsttheusers,providersandfundersofnutritiondataregardingtherelevantdatainitiatives;and

• Generate insights to contribute towards a more coherent and robustnutritiondatalandscape.

This report represents the primary output of the mapping exercise. In thefollowingchapters,itwill:• Presenta“map”ofthenutritiondataandaccountabilitylandscape,fromdata

prioritizationandcollection,to itsaccessibilityanduse,notingmajorglobalinitiatives active in each area (Chapter 2: Mapping the Data andAccountabilityLandscape);

• Provideasummaryofkeyfindingsfromthemappingexercise(Chapter3:Keyfindings);and

• Profilerepresentative initiatives inthe landscapeofdataandaccountabilityfornutrition(Annexes).

1.2MethodologyThe work for this mapping exercise has been carried out by an independentconsultant during the period of February to June 2016, under the guidance ofrepresentatives from the SDN, and with the financial support of the Bill &MelindaGatesFoundation.Primary sources included publicly available information on data andaccountability initiatives, and interviews with representatives from theinitiatives. Thiswassupplementedbya lightreviewofrelatedanalyses inthisspace and discussions with key donors about their priorities in fundinginitiativesonnutritiondataandaccountability.Insomecases(particularlywithinitiativesthatareintheearlystagesoftheirconceptionorimplementation),theexerciseutilized“workingdocuments”notyetpubliclyaccessible.

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Below is a brief discussion of inclusion criteria. This exercise consideredinitiativesthatare:• Initiated and coordinated at global level. This includes a number of

initiativeswith presence and activities at country-level, but excludes thosethatarelimitedtoaspecificcountry.

• Nutrition-specific.Theexercisefocusedprimarilyoninitiativesdealingwithnutrition-specificdataandaccountability(aswellasthosedealingwithbothnutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive data and accountability). Only insome limitedcasesdid it focuson initiatives thatdealsolelywithnutrition-sensitivedataoraccountability.

The exercise furthermore reviewed initiatives that dealwithpublicly availabledata,but italsoincludedinitiatives, fromwhichthedatageneratedmaynotbepublicly available on a systematic basis. In such cases, the exercise sought toexaminethereasonsforthelackofaccessibility.Theexercisedoesnotseekto:• Reviewnutritionfinancingdata. Althoughthis isacritically importantarea

ofnutritiondataandaccountability,otheron-goingexerciseswithintheSUNMovementareworkingonthistopic,anditwasthereforeexcludedfromthisexercise.

• Act as a catalogue of the status, availability and guidance for all types ofnutrition data and indicators. The primary focus of this exercise is on theinitiativesdealingwithnutritiondata and accountability; and althoughas aconsequence that leads to some discussion, for example, on data gaps, thisreportdoesattempttocomprehensivelycataloguethegaps forallnutritiondataandindicators.

• Be exhaustive or comprehensive. There are many initiatives dealing withnutritiondataandaccountability,andthelandscapeisconstantlyevolving–especially at this moment, as the work is still on-going in developing thedetailsformonitoringframeworksonnutrition,aswellasfortheSustainableDevelopmentGoals (SDGs)and theGlobalStrategy forWomen’s,Children’sandAdolescents’Health. Themappingexercise isnevertheless intended tolendcoherencetoalandscapethatisinsomewaysopaqueandfragmented.It therefore seeks to be representative in the types of global initiatives itcovers,butnotcomprehensive.

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II. Mappingthedataandaccountabilitylandscape2.1Thedataandaccountabilityvaluechain

Thebelowgraphicproposesaframeworkformappingdifferentinitiativesalongadataandaccountability“valuechain.”

Thisvaluechainbeginswithdefiningandprioritizingthetypesofdatathatwillbeneededtomonitorprogress;tothecollectionofthedataanditsaccessibilitythrough aggregation and repositories; and its use towards advocacy,accountabilityandforinformingpoliciesandfundingpriorities. It ispresentedlinearly,sincetheabilitytoaccuratelyanalyzeanddrawmeaningfulconclusionsfromdataisheavilydependenton,forexample,theavailabilityandqualityofthedata,andthealignmentacrossactorsindefiningthetypesofdatatobecollectedandthemeansfordoingso.And yet, initiatives further along the data and accountability value chain alsoprovidevaluable feedbackon,andhelprefine, theway that thedataneedsaredefinedorcollected.TheGlobalNutritionReport(GNR)forexampleisprimarilyaninitiativethatutilizesavailabledataforaccountabilityandadvocacy;butthatrolealsopositionstheGNRwelltocommentoncriticaldatagapsortheneedforgreaterclarityaroundreportingonspecificindicators–thushelpingtostimulatediscussionandimprovementsinthoseareas.In theparagraphsbelow, key initiatives aremapped along the abovedata andaccountabilityvaluechain. Note:theaimofthischapteristoprovideacoherentpictureofhow thedifferent initiatives fit intoabroaderdataandaccountabilitylandscape for nutrition. As such, the initiatives are referred to at a high level,ratherthandiscussedinsignificantdetail,intermsofwhateachinitiativedoesandhow they operate. Annex B (Initiative Profiles) provides more comprehensiveinformationaboutmostofinitiativesreferencedhere.1

1IncaseswhereaninitiativeisnotprofiledintheAnnex,thisisnoted,andwherepossiblealinkforfurtherinformationisprovided.

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2.2Normativefunctions

Several initiatives led by UN agencies are helping to establish and refine thefoundations of the data and accountability landscape for nutrition, by definingthe metrics and indicators that will be used to understand nutritional status,coverageandoutcomes;andestablishingandprioritizingthekindsofdatathatareneededtowardsthatend.The Comprehensive Implementation Plan on Maternal, Infant and YoungChild Nutrition, endorsed by the World Health Assembly in May 2012,establisheda setof six globalnutrition targets for2025 (the “WHAtargets”).2The development of a monitoring framework for the Plan – the GlobalMonitoringFrameworkonMaternal,InfantandYoungChildNutrition–hasbeen a critical area of work for WHO and its technical partners, and afoundationalelementofthedataandaccountabilitylandscapefornutrition.The“core indicators” for themonitoring frameworkwereapprovedat the67thand68th WHAs. Further work is on-going on the “extended set” of indicators,specifically on the definitions, availability of data and criteria for theirapplicabilitytodifferentcountrycontexts.TheWHO/UNICEFTechnicalExpertAdvisoryGrouponNutritionMonitoring(TEAM)isundertakingtheabove-referencedwork,aswellasthemonitoringandreportingguidelines for thecore indicators. TheTEAMwas initiated in2015,and will provide advice on nutrition monitoring efforts, identify emergingresearchneedsrelatedtonutritionmonitoringandrecommendactions.UNICEF plays a key role in developing new methodologies, indicators andmonitoring tools, particularly for low birthweight, iodine deficiency disorder,vitaminAdeficiencyandinfant-andyoungchildfeeding.On the food and agriculture side, FAO has an important normative function,through itswork in developing theCompendium of Indicators for Nutrition-SensitiveAgriculture.2.3Primarydatacollectiontools

Anumberofinitiativesworkonthegatheringorgenerationofdata,whichtodayisaccomplishedprincipallythroughtheuseofsurveys.

21) Stunting: 40% reduction in the number of children under-5 who are stunted; 2) Anaemia: 50%reduction of anaemia in women of reproductive age; 3) Low birth weight: 30% reduction in low birthweight;4)Childhoodoverweight:noincreaseinchildhoodoverweight;5)Breastfeeding:increasetherateof exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months up to at least 50%; 6: Wasting: reduce and maintainchildhoodwastingtolessthan5%.

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Two household surveys –Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) (a USAIDprogram) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) (UNICEF) – areperhapsthetwomostcentralsourcesofdataonnutrition,aswellasonawidevariety of other topics on health, population and social practices. The twoprograms have somedifferences in terms of surveymethodology, and in theirfocus (DHS has a greater focus on reproductive health and diseases, whereasMICS is more focused on children under-5). However, the two work closelytogethertohelpensurecomparabilityandcompatibilitybetweensystems,toolsanddatacollection.TogetherwithanothercorehouseholdsurveyprogramfromtheWorldBank–theLivingStandardsMeasurementStudy(LSMS)3–DHSandMICSrecentlyformedaformalcollaboration(theDHS-MICS-LSMSCollaborativeGroup) to exploit synergies through harmonizing survey tools and models,sharing information on survey schedules, and collaborating onmethodologicaladvancesinhouseholdsurveys.These survey programs are also active in the data accessibility space: theyprovide access to the dataset results from their surveys, as well as throughpublishing summary results from the surveys in the form of reports. Finally,because their model relies on country systems and capacity, these surveyprograms also engage in a number of activities aimed at building countrycapacity, from the design and execution of surveys, to the analysis andinterpretationofthedatatowardspolicyimplications.Nutritiondatainhumanitariansituationsareoftenlacking. OneimportanttoolforfulfillingthatneedistheStandardizedMonitoringandAssessmentofReliefandTransitions (SMART survey),which provide nutrition andmortality dataforhumanitarianenvironments.4GAIN’s Fortified Assessment Coverage Tool (FACT) is a compilation ofpopulation-based survey instruments on purchase and consumption patterns,whichalsofactorsininformationonthequalityofproductsandmarketsamplestoprovidebetter informationondietary intakeofmicronutrients,andwhethertheyareeffectivelyreachingthetargetpopulations.In the area of food and agriculture, FAO leads a number of initiatives for datacollection. These includeFoodbalancesheets,whichprovideestimatesof thequantitiesof foodavailableforhumanconsumptioninacountry,usingdataonfood supply and their nutritional and caloric content. Voices of the Hungryemploys theFood InsecurityExperienceScale (FIES),which isanexperience-basedtoolthatisincorporatedintotheGallupWorldPolltohelpmeasurefoodinsecurityworldwide. TheAgriculturalandRuralIntegratedSurvey(AGRIS)isafarm-basedmodularmulti-yearsurveyprogramdesignedtoprovidedataonthe technical, economic, environmental and social dimensions of agriculturalholdings.

3 LSMS is not profiled in detail in this report. For more information refer to the LSMS website:http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTLSMS/0,,contentMDK:21610833~pagePK:64168427~piPK:64168435~theSitePK:3358997,00.html4SMART was initially developed for emergency settings, but is now also in use in non-emergencyenvironments,wherethereisalackofreliablenutritioninformation.

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Someoftheabove-mentionedinitiativesareoperatingataglobal,ornear-globalscale to collect data. These include DHS,MICS, food balance sheets, FIES andAGRIS.OthersdatacollectiontoolssuchasSMARTandFACTarecurrentlybeingusedonamorelimitedbasis.Thereareanumberofothersurveytoolsthatareusedtocollectimportantdataon nutrition, which are not discussed in detail in this report. These includemicronutrient surveys and food consumption and expenditure surveys(FCES).Besides data collection, some of the initiatives mentioned above are alsocontributing to clarifying indicators or the means for monitoring againstthem. FACTishelpingtorefineadefinitionfor,andthemeansformonitoring,effectivecoverageinfortificationprograms.FIEShasbeenidentifiedasthebasisfor reporting against SDG indicator 2.1.2 (prevalence of moderate and severefood insecurity); and AGRIS will be the primary means for collecting data toinform SDG indicators 2.3.1 (on smallholder farm productivity), 2.3.2 (onsmallholderincomes)and2.4.1(onsustainableagriculturalpractices).2.4Globaldatabases

Global databases aggregate data and other information, and facilitate theiraccessibilitythroughrepositoriesanduserinterfaces.Manyofthenutrition-specificdatabasesaremanagedbyeitherWHOorUNICEF.WHOhasanotional leadrole inmaintaining thedatabases related tonutritionstatus indicators,whereasUNICEFgenerallymaintainsthedatabasesrelatedtonutritioncoverage-andpracticeindicators.WHO’sGlobalDatabaseonChildGrowthandMalnutritionisacompilationofstandardized child growth and malnutrition data from nutritional surveysconducted around theworld. OtherWHO databases include theWHOGlobalDataBankonInfantandYoungChildFeeding, theGlobalDatabaseonBodyMass Index and the Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Information System(VMNIS).Access to the datasets and visual representations of the data are variouslyavailablethroughWHO’sNutritionLandscapeInformationSystem(NLiS)andtheGlobalHealthObservatory.Amongstotherthings,NLiSwillhostthedataofthe indicators for the Global Nutrition Monitoring Framework. WHO alsomanages the Global database on the Implementation of Nutrition Action(GINA),whichcompilesinformationonnutritionpoliciesandactions, includingcommitmentsmade, actions taken and lessons learned. Finally, through itse-LibraryofEvidenceforNutritionActions(eLENA),WHOiscompilingalibraryofevidence-informedguidancefornutritioninterventions.

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UNICEFmaintainsaseriesofglobaldatabasestrackingthesituationofchildrenandwomenglobally.Throughitswebpageondataandanalytics,UNICEFoffersaccess to global datasets on malnutrition, infant and young child feeding,iodizedsaltconsumption,lowbirthweightandvitaminAsupplementation.A number of the above-mentionedWHOandUNICEFdatabases are used for avarietyofexternalinitiatives,includingforreportingagainstglobaltargets.Forexample,UNICEFwas the responsibleagency forofficialUNMDGreportingonthe nutrition target of underweight, through the Secretary General’s annualreports. UNICEF andWHO are jointly leading SDG reporting on the nutritionindicators,utilizingthedatafromtheirdatabases.In 2013, UNICEF launched NutriDash, which is a web-based database thatcollates country-level program output data, to help improve the availability ofinformationonthereachandprogressofprograms.FAOandWHOarecurrentlycollaboratingtodeveloptheGlobalIndividualFoodconsumptiondataTool(FAO/WHOGIFT),which isaglobaldatabasethatwillcontain individual quantitative food consumption data from countries, madeaccessibleonlinethroughaninteractivewebplatform.Finally, FAOSTAT is FAO’s primary repository for much of the food andagriculture data that it compiles, including for example data generated fromFoodbalancesheets(referencedintheprevioussection).2.5Trackingandreportingtools

Severalglobal initiativesanalyzeexistingdata tocontribute toregular trackingandreportingonprogress,usingnutritiontargetsandindicatorsthathavebeenagreeduponbyglobalnormativebodiesandprocesses.The UNICEF-WHO-World Bank Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates providejoint global and regional estimateson child stunting,underweight, overweight,wastingandseverewasting.Theseestimatesareregularlyupdatedbyaninter-agencyteam,andtheunderlyingdatasetsareavailablepublicly.Based partly on these estimates, WHO maintains a Tracking tool for WHAtargets, with country indicator profiles, indicator mapping and global- andregionaloverviews.WHOalsoprovidesregularreportingonprogressagainsttheWHAtargetsandontheComprehensiveImplementationPlanonMaternal,InfantandYoungChildNutrition.TheScalingUpNutrition(SUN)Movement’sAnnualProgressReportscompileself-reportedassessmentsfromSUNcountries.Thisinitiativehasbeentrackingcountries’progressmarkersaroundfourareas:1)bringingpeopletogetherintoasharedspaceforaction;2)ensuringacoherentpolicyandlegalframework;3)aligningactionsaroundaCommonResultsFramework;and4)financialtracking

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and resourcemobilization. Under the SUNMovement’s 2016-2020 Roadmap,this initiative will continue with some changes as the SUN Country JointAssessmentofProgressandPrioritySettingExercise.52.6Globalreports,indicesandaccountabilitytools

Thereareanumberofglobalnutritionreportingandindexinginitiatives,which–similar tothetrackingtoolsnoted inthesectionabove–seektouseexistingdata to monitor progress and performance, coupled with analysis andcommentary;andwiththedataoftenpresentedinamannerthatmoredirectlyemphasizesadvocacyandaccountability.The Global Nutrition Report (GNR) assesses the progress of the 193 UNmemberstatesinmeetingglobalnutritiontargetsestablishedbytheWHA,anddocumentshowwellcountries,donors,NGOs,businessesandothersaremeetingthecommitmentsmadeattheNutritionforGrowthsummitin2013.TheGlobalHunger Index (GHI) is designed to comprehensivelymeasure andtrackhungerglobally,andbycountryandregion.TheGHIisanindexthattracksprogress against four component indicators (undernourishment, childwasting,child stunting and childmortality). Its aim is to draw attention and stimulatepoliticaldiscussiononthechallengeofhungerintheworld.The State of Food Insecurity in theWorld (SOFI) is an annual report jointlypublished by FAO, IFAD and WFP, which presents updated estimates ofundernourishment in theworld,with the aim to raise awareness about globalhungerissuesandtodiscusstheunderlyingcausesofhunger.Todate,SOFIhasfocusedon indicators of food insecurity, but it is currently indiscussionswithUNICEF andWHO to potentially expand the scope of the report to cover bothfoodsecurityandnutrition.TheAccess to Nutrition Index (ATNI) seeks to stimulate dialogue about howfood and beverage manufacturers can improve their nutrition practices bybenchmarkingtheirapproachtonutritionagainstpeers,andbyidentifyingareasfor improvement. Note: ATNI is one of several initiatives to rank and/orencourage companies on issues of corporate responsibility, governance andsustainability(albeitperhapstheonlyinitiativewithaprimaryfocusonnutrition).Others (not covered in detail in this report) include theUNGlobal Compact,6FTSE4Good7andtheCorporateResponsibilityIndex.8

5This initiative is not profiledmore fully in theAnnex. Informationon the SUNMovement’smonitoringframeworktodateisavailableathttp://scalingupnutrition.org/about/global-impact.Howeverthisworkiscurrentlyunderrevision,aspartofabroaderprocessledbytheSUNMovement’sExecutiveCommitteetodevelopthenextiterationoftheMovement’smonitoringsystem.6https://www.unglobalcompact.org/7http://www.ftse.com/products/indices/FTSE4Good8http://www.bitc.org.uk/services/benchmarking/cr-index

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AnSDG2AccountabilityFrameworkWorkingGroup,convenedbyGODAN,9isworkingtodevelopatool totracktheprogressofglobal,regionalandnationalcommitments from different stakeholders, in the areas of agriculture, foodsecurityandnutrition. Thisgroupwillfurthermorelookatthedata,policyandfinancinggapsrequiredtoachieveSDG2by2030.In addition to the initiatives noted above, there are a number of additionalreportsproducedregularlytomonitorprogressonavarietyofissues,forwhichnutrition is a component or key determinant. These include (which are notprofiled in detail in this report) the State of the World’s Children report(UNICEF); 10 ; the World Health Report (WHO); 11 World Health Statistics(WHO);12Stateof theWorld’sMothers (Save theChildren)13andTheWorld’sWomen:TrendsandStatistics(UNStats).142.7Initiativestoimprovedatacollectionandaccessibility

Several initiatives are currently underway, which are direct responses toidentifiedgapsorweaknessesinthenutritiondataandaccountabilitylandscape.Those cited in this section are working to improve aspects of nutrition datacollectionandaccessibility.Currently,theseinitiativesarelargelyworkingwithalimitednumberofcountries.The International Dietary Data Expansion Project (INDDEX) is designed totackle critical issues of dietary data scarcity and quality, high cost andinaccessibility.Itisworkingtodevelopnewtechnologiesandmethodologiestostandardizeandstreamlinethecollectionandanalysisofindividual-leveldietarydata; improve the design and use of the food data collected in householdconsumption and expenditure surveys; demonstrate how to appropriately usefit-for-purpose indicators and analyses; and develop guidance and tools toeffectivelycommunicateandassistwith theadoptionof theadvancementsandnewmethodologiesdevelopedundertheINDDEXproject.WHO’s Accelerating Nutrition Improvements in Sub-Saharan Africa (ANI)project is supporting sub-Saharan African countries to improve nutritionsurveillanceactivitiesthroughstrengtheninghealthinformationsystems.ANIisseekingtoprovidealternativesourcesofdatathatarecomplementarytosurveyresults, but which provide more frequent and routine data points, relying onstrengthenednationalsystems.GAIN’sFortifiedAssessmentCoverageTool(FACT)(alsomentionedsection2.3:“Primarydatacollectiontools”) isworkingtoaddressadatagap in theareaof

9GODANisdiscussedundersection2.910http://www.unicef.org/sowc/11http://www.who.int/whr/en/12http://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/en/13https://www.savethechildren.net/state-worlds-mothers-201514http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/worldswomen/WWreports.htm

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“effective coverage” for food fortification, through the development ofpopulation-based survey instruments on purchase and consumption patterns,togetherwiththecompilationofinformationonthequalityanddietaryvalueofspecificproducts.The above initiatives represent a small set of examples of efforts to improvenutrition data collection and accessibility. Others (not profiled in this report)includeon-goingworktocontinuously improveexistingtoolsandsystems(e.g.through new versions of household surveys); and refinements to low birthweightestimatesthroughacollaborationbetweentheJohnsHopkinsBloombergSchool of Public Health (JHSPH), UNICEF, WHO and the London School ofHygieneandTropicalMedicine(LSHTM).2.8Buildingin-countryinformationplatformsandcapacity

Manyof the initiativesnoted in this reportareworkingonglobal systemsandprocesses. This exercise also looked at a number of initiatives that aremorefocusedonin-countrysystemsforbringingtogetherrelevantnutritiondata,withtheintentofstrengtheningthosesystems,aswellasthecapacityofstakeholderstogenerateevidence-basedpolicyandprogrammaticimplications.National Evaluation Platforms (NEP) are working with several countries tosystematically compile and rigorously analyze data from diverse sources, andutilize these towards answering critical evaluation questions regarding theirnutrition programs and needs. It is developing new approaches to buildcountries’ capacities for bringing together health and nutrition data, assessingthe effectiveness of on-going programs, and using analyticalmethods to drivetowardsevidence-basedanswerstoimportantpolicyandprogramquestions.The National Information Platforms for Nutrition Initiative (NIPN) isinitiatingsupporttoseveralcountriesintheSUNMovementtostrengthentheircapacity to bring together existing information on nutritional status withinformation on factors that influence nutritional outcomes, including policies,programs and investments. In doing so, it aims to help countries to trackprogress against global targets, analyze data to better understand howmalnutritioncanbeprevented, informnationalpoliciesand improveprogramsandoutcomes.IntegratedFoodSecurityPhaseClassification(IPC)usesasetofstandardizedtoolstoprovideacommonapproachforclassifyingtheseverityandmagnitudeoffoodinsecurityandmalnutritionincountries.IPC’stoolsareintendedtohelpimprovetheabilitytoanalyzeandmakedecisionsonfoodsecurityandnutrition,and to promote effective and accessible communication for decision-makersbasedontheanalyses.Importantinputsintotheprocessincludestrengtheningthecapacityincountriesforusingdatatowardsevidence-based,programmatic-andpolicy implications; andbuildingpartneralignmentandconsensusaround

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theseverityoffoodinsecurityandmalnutritionincountries,aswellasaricherdiagnosisonthenatureoftheproblemsandtheappropriateresponse.NEPandNIPNarebothworkinginalimitednumberofcountries.IPC’scurrentplansaretoworkin51countriesoverthe2014-2018period.2.9Partnershipandinnovationplatforms

This section describes initiatives that act as global-level platforms forpartnership and innovationondata. Theybring together stakeholders aroundcommonagendastobrainstormonsolutions, identifypartnersforprojectsandpushfortheadoptionofmoreinnovativeoropenapproachestodata.The Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) initiativefacilitates and convenes partners to tackle the various dimensions of theobstacles facing open data. It provides platforms for partners to collaborate,shareideasandexperiences,andtofindwaysforwardonhowopendatacanbeusedtosolvekeyissuesandchallengesintheagricultureandnutritionsectors.TheGlobalPartnershipforSustainableDevelopmentData(GPSDD)isaglobalnetwork of governments, NGOs and businesses working together to supportdata-driven decision-making towards the SDGs. Through different workinggroups (e.g. on data roadmaps, filling data gaps, and data principles andprotocols),itisseekingtoidentifysolutionsandfosterpartnershipstoimprovethe ability to leverage data in service of the SDGs. The Global Partnership isworkingonarangeoftopics,includingbutnotlimitedtonutrition.GlobalPulseisaninnovationinitiativeoftheUNSecretaryGeneralonbigdata,the mission of which is to accelerate the discovery, development and scaledadoptionofbigdata innovation forsustainabledevelopmentandhumanitarianaction.GlobalPulseactsasakindof“innovationandpartnershiplab”fortheUNsystem to identify and initiate projects using big data, including real-timeinformation systems (e.g. throughmobilephone technology). GlobalPulsehasfacilitatedworkonawiderangeoftopics,includingfoodsecurity,humanitarianlogistics,economicwell-being,genderdiscriminationandhealth.2.10 The Accountability Framework for the Global Strategy on Women’s,Children’sandAdolescents’Health

In September 2015, the UN Secretary General launched the updated GlobalStrategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016-2030).Accountability features strongly in theGlobal Strategy, and the components oftheaccountabilityframework(whicharedescribedingreaterdetailinAnnexB)includethefollowing:• TheGlobal Strategy IndicatorandMonitoring Framework, developedby

WHOtogetherwiththemultilateralhealthagencies(H6).TheIndicatorandMonitoring Framework consists of 60 indicators (including the WHA

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nutrition targets), against which WHO and H6 partners will report onprogressinanannualreport.

• AnIndependentAccountabilityPanel(IAP),appointedbytheUNSecretaryGeneral, will produce a comprehensive synthesis report on the state ofwomen’s,children’sandadolescents’healthonanannualbasis. Thisreportwill provide an independent assessment of progress, and will seek toharmonizeglobalreporting,minimizethereportingburdenoncountriesandsupportcosteffectiveness.

• The Countdown to 2030 initiative (which is an evolution of the previous“Countdownto2015” initiative)willactasaglobalmechanismfor trackingprogressagainstkeycoverageandequityindicators,andwithastrongfocusonthedeterminantsofmaternal,newbornandchildhealth.

Because of the important linkages between nutrition and women’s, children’sand adolescents’ health, all three accountability initiatives noted above willfeaturekeynutritionelements. These initiativesarecurrently indevelopment,and have benefited from the close collaboration (and overlap) between thecommunities developing the accountability frameworks for both nutrition andwomens’,children’sandadolescents’health.2.11 The Sustainable Development Goals – Indicators and MonitoringFramework

Duringaspecialsummit inSeptember2015attheUnitedNations,UNMemberStatesadoptedAgenda2030,whichincluded17SustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs). The UN Statistical Commission (which brings together the ChiefStatisticians from member states from around the world) created anInteragencyandExpertGrouponSDGIndicators(IAEG-SDGs),15composedofMemberStates and including regional and international agencies asobservers.TheIAEG-SDGshasbeentaskedwithdevelopinganindicatorframeworkforthegoals and targets of the post-2015 development agenda, and supporting itsimplementation.At its 47th Session (March2016), theUNStatistical Commission agreedon theGlobalIndicatorFrameworkfortheSDGsproposedbytheIAEG-SDGs.Thissetof 230 global indicators is seen as an initial indicator framework, requiringreview and refinement over time. A number of the indicators currently lackacceptablecountrycoverage,agreed-uponmethodologiesorboth.TheUNStatisticalCommissionalsocreatedaHigh-levelGroupforPartnership,Coordination and Capacity-Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda forSustainable Development (HLG), composed also of Member States andincluding regional and international agencies as observers. It hasbeen taskedwith providing strategic leadership for the SDG implementation process, as itrelates tostatisticalmonitoringandreporting. TheHLGwillhelp toshape theinteractionbetweenthetechnicalandpoliticalaspectsoftheworkonindicators.

15http://unstats.un.org/sdgs/iaeg-sdgs/

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The development of the globalmonitoring frameworks for both nutrition andwomen’s,children’sandadolescents’healthhavebeenveryclosely linkedwiththeGlobalIndicatorFrameworkfortheSDGs.FortheGlobalStrategyIndicatorandMonitoringFramework(onwomen’s,children’sandadolescents’health),forexample,34of the60 indicatorsare fullyalignedwithSDG indicators,withanadditional 26 indicators drawn from established global initiatives forreproductive,maternal,newborn,childandadolescenthealth.Thedirectorsof statistics for thevarious specializedUNagenciesworkcloselywith theUNStatisticalCommission toensure that the indicatorsoneach topicarealignedwith those thatwill beused tomonitorprogressagainst theSDGs.AndinmanycasesitwillbetheseUNagenciesthatwillleadtheworkinrefiningtheSDGindicatorframework.Fornutrition,WHOwillleadtherefinementoftheexistingWHA targets for theSDGs,whichwill include recalculating the targetsfor the 2030 horizon (since theWHA targets were originally set for the timehorizonendingin2025).2.12BroaderdataandaccountabilityinitiativesAfewadditionalareasofactivitythatarenotspecifictonutrition,but–becauseof their relevance to the broader landscape of data and accountability – areneverthelessworth noting in this report. These initiatives are not profiled ingreaterdetailintheAnnex,althoughlinksareprovidedheretoenablereaderstofindfurtherinformation.Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21)16promotesthebetteruseandproductionofstatisticsthroughoutthedevelopingworld. Ithelpscountriestodesign,implementandmonitoraNationalStrategyfor the Development of Statistics. At the request of countries, it facilitatesstatisticalcapacitydevelopment,theproductionofstatisticaladvocacymaterial,the integration of reliable data in decision-making, and coordinates donorsupporttostatistics.PARIS21hasalsodevelopedtheAdvancedDataPlanningTool (ADAPT),whichhelpsdataproducers in thenationalstatistical systemtoconsult, costandchart their indicatorsasdefinedby thenationaldevelopmentplan.ThePARIS21SecretariatishostedbytheOECDinParis.The International Household Survey Network17is an informal network ofinternationalagencies,whosemissionistoimprovetheavailability,accessibilityand quality of survey data within developing countries, and to encourage theanalysisanduseofthisdatabynationalandinternationaldevelopmentdecisionmakers,theresearchcommunityandotherstakeholders.AvirtualSecretariatiscomprised of members of the World Bank Development Data Group (WB-DECDG)andthePARIS21Secretariat.Several initiatives are working to more effectively incorporate and monitorgenderinthebroaderdataandaccountabilitylandscape.Theseinclude:

16http://www.paris21.org/17http://www.ihsn.org/HOME/

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• TheGlobalGenderStatisticsProgram,18implementedby theUNStatisticsDivision(UNSD),isworkingtoimprovecoherenceamongexistinginitiativeson gender statistics through international coordination. This program isdeveloping and promoting methodological guidelines on gender, andstrengtheningnationalstatistical capacity for theproduction,disseminationand use of gender data. It is also facilitating access to gender data andmetadatathroughanewlydevelopedportal.

• UNWomen19isleadingeffortsonSDGgoals,targetsandindicatorsrelevantto gender, and is responsible for global monitoring of SDG 5,20includingcoordinationatnationallevel.

• EvidenceandDataforGenderEquality(EDGE)21isapartnershipthatseeksto push existing efforts to have comparable gender indicators on health,education, employment, entrepreneurship and asset ownership. EDGE isjointly executed by UNSD and UN Women, in collaboration with otherpartners.

• GenderDataNavigator22aimstoassessifandhow(well)surveyprogramsindevelopingcountriesprovidethenecessaryinformationtoproducegenderindicators and conduct analysis on gender issues. It features a searchableinventory of gender-related questions found in survey- and censusquestionnairesfromlow-andmiddle-incomecountries.

• TheOECDGenderDataPortal23includesselected indicatorsshedding lighton gender inequalities in education, employment, entrepreneurship, healthanddevelopment,toidentifywhereactionsaremostneeded.

• The World Bank Gender Data Portal 24 is the World Bank Group’scomprehensive source for the latest sex-aggregated data and genderstatistics covering demography, education, health, access to economicopportunities,publiclifeanddecision-makingandagency.

• TheWomen Stats Project25is a free online database with qualitative andquantitative data for 310 indicators covering 174 countries. It collectsstatisticsonwomen,aswellaspracticesandlawsaffectingwomen.

• WorldPolicy Analysis Center aims to improve the quantity and quality ofcomparative data available on laws and policies affecting human health,development, well-being and equity. The Center’s Global Maps26providedetailed informationon constitutional rights, lawsandpublicpolicies in all193UNmemberstatesonarangeofcriticaltopics.

• TheBill&MelindaGatesFoundationrecentlyannounceda$US80millioncommitment to close gender data gaps and accelerate progress forwomen and girls.27 The commitment will support efforts that fill criticalgender data gaps, improve the accuracy and reliability of data collection,

18http://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/about.html19http://www.unwomen.org/en20SDG5:Achievegenderequalityandempowerallwomenandgirls21http://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/EDGE/about.html22http://www.ihsn.org/home/gender-data-navigator23https://www.oecd.org/gender/data/24http://datatopics.worldbank.org/gender/home25http://www.womanstats.org/index.htm26http://worldpolicycenter.org/maps-data/global-maps27http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2016/05/Gates-Foundation-Announces-80-Mill-Doll-Comm-Closing-Gender-Data-Gaps-Acc-Progress-for-Women-Girls

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equip decision makers with more timely and clearer evidence aboutprogramsandinterventionsthatareworking,supportcivilsocietyinholdingleaderstoaccountandamplifyandstrengthenorganizationsandplatforms.

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III. KeyfindingsThis chapter shares some of the findings that emerged through the mappingexercise.Asnotedearlier,thisexercisedoesnotcomprehensivelycataloguethestatus of each of the indicators for nutrition, nor the soundness of themethodologies for reportingagainst them,nor theavailabilityof relevantdata.That is not the aim of the exercise, nor is it an area in which the consultantcarryingoutthisexercisehastherelevantexpertise.Thus,althoughthischapternotes challenges in the areas of data gaps and accessibility (for example), theapproachhere is reflectonhow the constellationof systemsand initiativesondata and accountability might contribute to addressing – or in some casesdeepening–thosechallenges.3.1Inherentchallengesinnutritiondataandaccountability

Anumberofchallengesinnutritiondataandaccountabilityarisefromthenatureof nutrition itself: nutrition is multi-dimensional, and the data required tounderstand progress and needs are complex and varied. They includeanthropometry,biochemistrystatusmeasures,foodintake-andotherbehavioralmeasures, aswell as intervention coveragemeasurements. Nutrition ismulti-sectoral,and it thereforereliesondata fromdisparatesources, including fromthehealthandagriculture sectors, aswell asmarketdata. Related to this, thecollection and analysis of nutrition data requires multiple areas of highlyspecificexpertiseandcapacity.Existing information and surveillance systems are largely inadequate forgenerating the appropriate types of data for nutrition and the coverage ofpopulations required: healthmanagement information systems (HMIS) do nottypically include nutrition indicators, and nutrition surveillance systems arelimited in scope and coverage. Nutrition is relatively poorly positioned toroutinelygeneratedatathroughservicedeliverypoints,whichareanimportantmeansforcollectingdatainmanysectors(e.g.healthfacilities,schools). Partlyas a consequence of this, nutrition is highly reliant on population-basedsurveysforthecollectionofdata.3.2Dataavailability

Theheavyrelianceonsurveysforthecollectionofnutritiondatahasanumberof consequences. One significant issue is the low frequency and lag in theavailabilityofnewdata.Householdsurveysaretypicallycarriedoutrelativelyinfrequently,e.g.everyfiveyears.Often,muchof“annualreporting”isbasednotonnewdataeveryyear,butratheronnewestimatesusingregressionanalysesofpreviously-existingdata.Thereisalsooftenalagof1-2yearsinthereleaseofthedatafromthetimeofitscollection.There are a host of factors that influence which countries conduct householdsurveys,andwhen.Ofthese,oneimportantfactorhastodowiththeprioritiesofdevelopment partners, who often provide much of the financial and technicalsupportrequired.Thismeansthatsurveysarenotsystematicallycarriedoutin all countries, and for example developed countries have almost no data

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fromDHS orMICS surveys. This impacts the ability of tracking and reportinginitiativestohaveatrulyglobalscope.As discussed elsewhere in this report, work is currently on-going to furtherrefine the indicators and reporting guidelines in the Global MonitoringFramework on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition. The lack of clearguidance on some indicatorswill continue to drive some inconsistency in thedatacollected,which–amongstotherchallenges– limitscomparability. Insomecases,unresolvedaspectsoftheglobalmonitoringframeworkpreventdata collection. For example,because the startingpoint forMICS surveysareindicators, when normative standards have not been established on thedefinitionandguidance formonitoring,MICSgenerallywillnot collectdataonthatindicator.Todate,therehasbeenlimiteddataondietaryandnutrientintake.Thisisanarea inwhich a number of new initiatives are showing promise for filling thedatagap,includingGIFT,INDDEXandOptifood.28Some initiatives, such asWHO’s Accelerating Nutrition Improvements in Sub-Saharan Africa (ANI), are working to implement new data collectionmodelsthat are less reliant on surveys, by leveraging and strengthening healthinformationsystems.3.3Dataquality

The nature of this mapping exercise did not lend itself to a comprehensivecataloguing of data quality issues. Nevertheless, data quality was frequentlycited as an issue during interviews, with a broad spectrum of reasons noted,includingtheinconsistencyofdatacollection,lackofcapacityfordatacollectionand analysis, inadequate tools for gathering data, and gaps in normativeguidance.Here too, thereare initiativesdesigned to improve specificdataquality issues.These include, at a global systemsand tools level, the INDDEXproject and thecollaborationbetween JHSPH,UNICEF,WHOandLSHTMtorefinebirthweightestimates.Atcountrylevel,initiativesthatwillhelptoassessandimprovedataquality include National Evaluation Platforms (NEP) and the NationalInformationPlatformsforNutrition(NIPN).Itisworthnotinghoweverthatbothof these country-based initiatives are currently working in a limited scope ofcountries, and thuswillnotbeeffectingdataquality improvementsat a globalscaleintheimmediatefuture.3.4Dataaccessibility

Thereappears tobesignificant fragmentationof thepubliclyavailabledataacross several databases. The integration or aggregation of databasesmight

28Optifood(whichisnotprofiledindetailinthisreport)isacomputersoftwareprogramdevelopedbyWHOincollaborationwithLSHTM,FANTAandBlueInfinitythatusesmathematicaloptimizationtocalculatehowtoimprovedietsatthelowestcostusinglocallyavailablefoods.https://www.spring-nutrition.org/publications/tool-summaries/optifood

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offer strong benefits with regards to the coherence and ease of access fornutritiondata.Theinter-agencycollaborationtodevelopUNICEF-WHO-WorldBankJointChildMalnutritionEstimateshasbeenanimportantstepinharmonizingacriticaldataoutput. Each agencymaintains a separatewebpage, eachofwhich offers easyaccess to the dataset and graphics. However, this also creates the risk ofconfusionas towhether therearedifferences in thecontentorpresentationofthe data from one agency’s website to the next. A joint website anddissemination approachmight simplify the process for accessing the data, andreinforcetheinter-agencycollaborativeaspectoftheinitiative.To date,much of nutrition data has not been publicly accessible. Increasinglyhowever,thereisamovementtowardspromoting,committingtoandfindingsolutions to improve the accessibility of data. The Global Open Data forAgricultureandNutrition (GODAN) initiativehasbeengainingmomentumandpartnerstopromoteopendata.Onthetopicofopendata,anumberofapparent“tensions”emergedduringthisexercise:• A tension between open data and country ownership: a frequent

justification for the non-accessibility of data is the principle of countryownership,andeffectivelytheprerogativeofcountriesnottosharetheirowndata.Inunpackingthisrationale,thereseemstobeavarietyofreasonswhysomecountriesdonotprovideopenaccesstotheirdata.Oneoftheseisfearof a critical response to the data, e.g. because of poor programmaticimplementation, or on account of the (sub-optimal) quality of the data.Distrust between civil society and government may also discourage dataaccessibility. There are also caseswhere the lack of access seems to stemprimarilyfromadiscomfortoftheunknown,intermsofwhowillaccessthedata, towards what end, with what implications on the country’sdevelopmentassistance,etc. Themovetowardsopendatawill thereforeatleast partly dependonpositioning opendata as a public good that enablesfeedback,refinementofapproachesandstakeholderalignmentonpriorities,whilst providing reasonable assurances to countries of their primacy interms of establishing priorities and owning national programs, as well asdispellingnotionalassociationsbetweenmonitoringandpenalization.

• Atensionbetweenqualitycontrolanddataavailability:therearecasesinwhichdatasetsarenotincludedinglobaldatabasesandrepositories,becausestandardqualitycontrolmeasureswerenotabletobeimplemented.Thisissometimes an indication that theremay be serious quality issueswith thedata,butsometimes it isonlyan indicationthata technicalpartnerhasnotprovided the same degree of assistance and quality control as it typicallydoes. Theremay be compelling reasons not to treat these datasets in thesame way as other datasets from a program. And yet, they neverthelessrepresentanimportantpublicgood,anditwouldseemimportanttoidentifywaystofacilitateeasieraccesstothem.

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3.5Country-levelcapacity

Thereis,inmanycases,limitedcapacityincountriestoanalyzeandinterpretdata, and to translate them into policy implications. Today, there are anumberofglobalinitiativesworkingtohelpbuildthiscapacityincountries.Both DHS and MICS have incorporated capacity building elements into theirmodel,includingspecificallyonanalyticalcapacity.Thefinalworkshopmodelinthe MICS program for example (on data interpretation, further analysis anddissemination) provides an opportunity for the MICS team to work withcountries,reviewsurveyresultsanddiscusstopicsforfurtheranalysis.NIPN,NEPandIPCareallsignificantlyfocusedonbuildingcountrysystemsandcapacityforanalyticsinnutrition.Morebroadly(i.e.withoutaspecificfocusonnutrition),PARIS21isworkingwithcountriestobuildtheirstatisticscapacities.3.6Learningfromprojectsandpilots

NIPN and NEP, as well as WHO’s ANI initiative, are currently working in alimited number of countries, and therefore do not – in their current forms –represent a large-scale solution to the challenge of building data systems andanalyticalcapacityincountries.Nonetheless,theseinitiativesofferanimportantlearningopportunitywithpotentialbenefitsatalargerscale.This is particularly relevant given the broader context: at global level, keymonitoringframeworksarecurrentlyemerging,29butwithsignificantworkstillon-going to further refine definitions of indicators, develop guidelines forreporting and achieve consensus on coverage indicators. The lack ofcomprehensive guidance exacerbates the situation at country level, in whichthere are significant data gaps, fragmentation in the information systems thatcollectandprovideaccesstonutritiondata,andlackofconsistenteffectiveuseevenofthedatathatisavailable.These“pilot”initiativesthereforerepresentavaluable opportunity to generate lessons on what works, what is possible,andwhat itwould take (in termsof costs andother inputsand factors) toachieve strengthened data systems and capacity in countries. It will beimportanttogleantheselessonsandproactivelyidentifywaystoapplythemtothebenefitofagreaternumberofcountries.3.7Globalreportsonnutrition

TheGlobalHungerReport(GHI)wasfirstpublishedin2006,andhasplayedanimportantrolesincethenasanadvocacytool.ThefirstGlobalNutritionReport(GNR) was published in 2014, and it has since also become an importantadvocacyandaccountabilitytoolforthenutritioncommunity. Thetworeportshave major differences, including in their approaches, with the GHI actingprimarily as an advocacy tool, whereas the GNR attempts to “straddle” theresearch and advocacy spaces. But they also have similarities, for example intheircommonfocusonchildwastingandstunting,inlinewiththeWHAtargets29E.g.theGlobalMonitoringFrameworkonMaternal,InfantandYoungChildNutrition;theCompendiumofIndicators for Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture; the Indicator and Monitoring Framework for the GlobalStrategyonWomen’s,Children’sandAdolescents’Health;theSDGindicators.

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(the GHI previously used child underweight as its undernutrition indicator,whichitreplacedwithchildwastingandstuntingin2015).Meanwhile,theStateofFoodInsecurityintheWorldreport(SOFI)publishedbyFAO, IFAD andWFP has to date focused on food security, but is currently indiscussionwithUNICEFandWHOtopotentiallyexpandthefocustoalsoincludenutrition.There may very well be ample space for three annual global reports onnutrition. If anything, it is perhaps a positive indication that nutrition hasarrivedasacriticalissueontheglobaldevelopmentagenda;andeachmayservesufficientlydifferentpurposes,withdifferentapproachesandaudiences. Itwillbeimportanthowevertoensurethatonereportcompounds,ratherthandilutes,theoverall impact, and to avoid fatiguing the attentionof audiences throughamultiplicityofreports,headlinesandlaunchevents.3.8Coveragedata

Nutrition coverage data has to date suffered from gaps in both indicators andguidance,aswellasintheavailabilityofthedataitself. Recentinitiativeshavemade importantsteps to improving thissituation. GAIN’sFACTtool ishelpingdefine effective coverage formicronutrient fortification, aswell as to generatedataonit. Semi-QuantitativeEvaluationofAccessandCoverage(SQUAEC)andSimplified Lot Quality Assurance Sampling Evaluation of Access and Coverage(SLEAC) are methodologies that are improving the availability and quality ofcoverage data for community-based management of acute malnutrition(CMAM).30 NutriDash is UNICEF’s newweb-based database collating country-levelprogramoutputdataforUNICEF-supportedprogramsonnutrition.31These initiatives are important, and yet theywill not significantly address thequitesizeablegapsinnutritioncoveragedata.Atthegloballevel,fundersofnutritionprogramsareimportant“consumers”aswellasindirect“producers”ofnutritiondata,throughtheirroleinmakingdata-driveninvestments,andthroughthesubsequentmonitoringandreportingoftheprogramstheyarefunding.Thereareexamplesoffundersplayingasignificantroleincollectingandmakingavailablethecoveragedatafortheprogramstheysupport.IntheareaofHIV/AIDS,boththeUSPresident’sEmergencyPlanforAIDSRelief (PEPFAR)and theGlobalFund toFightAIDS,Tuberculosis andMalaria – the two largest sources of external financing for the disease –makeavailablenational-levelcoveragedataforkeyinterventionsintheprogramstheysupport. Providing such data for vertical disease programs is perhaps a verydifferent exercise from doing the equivalent for nutrition, but some degree ofthismayneverthelessbepossiblefornutrition.Therecentlaunchofthreenewfunding mechanisms supporting nutrition programs in countries (Power of

30SQUAECandSLEACarenotprofiledingreaterdetailinthisreport.Formoreinformationpleaseseehttp://www.fantaproject.org/monitoring-and-evaluation/squeac-sleac31AlthoughcurrentlytheNutriDashdatasetsarenotavailablepublicly.

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Nutrition, UNITLIFE and the Global Financing Facility) may present aninterestingopportunitytoimprovetheavailabilityofcoveragedata.3.9Coordinationand“governance”fornutritiondataIn part due to the multi-sectoral nature of nutrition, there is no clear “lead”actor in coordinating and assuming ultimate accountability for ensuringcoherenceinthenutritiondataandaccountabilitylandscape.ThereisfurthermorenoequivalentofaMonitoringandEvaluationReferenceGroup(MERG)32fornutrition,tofacilitatealignmentandcoordinationonM&E,including on standards, tools and guidance (although the recently formedTechnicalExpertAdvisoryGroup(TEAM)establishedbyWHOandUNICEFmaygosomewaytofulfillthatfunction).Thiscontributestodifficultieswithregardstoprioritizationofworkandthefragmentationinapproachesandinitiatives.Work is on-going on key nutrition indicators and the guidance formonitoringagainstthem.TheGlobalMonitoringFrameworkfornutritionwillalsoneedtobe supplemented with a complementary framework and common metrics formeasuringnutritionsensitiveprogramsinothersectors,andformeasuringtheenablingenvironmentforactionstoimprovenutrition.Thisisinadditiontotheneed forgreaterconsistency in themethodsandmetricsacrossdatacollectiontools.Through these processes, the GNR will no doubt continue to raise importantquestionsand identifygaps forstakeholderstorespondto. LikewisetheSDG2accountability framework will play an important role in helping to ensureaccountabilityandcomprehensivenessinthespace.But itwill also arguably require ameans formanaging the close collaborationandstrongalignmentofactorstoensurecoherenceinhowthesecomplexpiecescome together. There have been efforts to bring together key stakeholders todiscuss nutrition data priorities and coordination issues, which have yieldedfruitfulinsightsandoutcomesinthepast.Theremaybevalueinestablishingagroupthatmeetsmoresystematicallytoidentifyandcoordinateactionsonkeydatapriorities. Arguably, this typeof taskrequires theactiveengagementandco-ownership by a group of stakeholders that includes not just technicalagencies, but also implementing partners and donors, given theinterdependencies of these groups’ activities on nutrition data andaccountability.3.10LinkingwithgenderdatainitiativesSince its inception, the language around gender has featured strongly in thestrategies and objectives of the SUNMovement, but it has initiated few if anyactivities to date with direct- or indirect outcomes on gender. The scope of

32MonitoringandEvaluationReferenceGroups(MERGs)existonanumberoftopics(e.g.WASH,HIV/AIDS,malaria and child protection), and their function typically is to facilitate alignment of partners onapproaches and best practices for monitoring and evaluation; and to identify and respond to emergingresearchquestionsandneedsrelatedtotheimplementationofM&Einitiatives.

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activity specifically on data for gender in nutrition may be relatively limited.However, as noted in Section 2.12, there is significant activity in the broaderspaceof genderdata, reflectingamultitudeof approachesand investments, aswellasahostoforganizationsandagencieswith importantareasofexpertise.ThisrepresentsanopportunityfortheSUNMovement,aswellasforthebroadernutrition community, to identify concrete opportunities to better deliveragainst gender outcomes in nutrition, through linking with the on-goinggenderdatainitiativesofpartners.3.11LinkageswithRMNCAHmonitoringandaccountabilityTherearesignificantoverlapsbetweenthemulti-sectoraltopicsofnutritionandreproductive,maternal,newborn,childandadolescenthealth(RMNCAH).Theseoverlaps include their programmatic approaches, stakeholders and data andaccountabilityframeworks.Mindfuloftheseoverlaps,considerableeffortshavebeenmadetoensurethat there isalignmentbetweenthetwotopics, includingaround the indicators and monitoring framework for both the new GlobalStrategyonWomen’s,Children’sandAdolescents’HealthandonMaternal,InfantandYoungChildNutrition. Theseeffortswillneedtocontinuemovingforwardinorder tohelp streamline, avoidduplicationandensure consistencybetweenthetwoframeworksandthereportinganddatathataregeneratedaroundthem;but also to take advantage of and mutually reinforce the significant energyaroundthetwo.