Podcasts

This N4D podcast delivers a series of constructively challenging conversations with decision makers on driving political change to end malnutrition. It is not only about nutrition for nutritionists. Its themes of country ownership, political leadership, vested interests and many more are relevant to everyone interested in sustainable development, disaster risk management and humanitarian assistance.

Our Podcast team

Carmel Dolan

Chris Leather

Jeremy Shoham

Latest Episode

Episode 14:
Steve Collins
Impediments to scaling up the management of acute malnutrition
The role of plant based ready to use formulae 

This podcast features Dr Steve Collins who was key to the development of the globally recognized community base management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) approach.  Everyone in the international nutrition sector will know how Steve’s pioneering work helped to build the evidence for ready to use therapeutic food (RUTF) and the programme approach to empower communities and the parents of malnourished children to be actively involved in the effective and safe recovery of their malnourished child at home. 

Globally, it is reported that there is now 20% coverage of treatment for children with severe acute malnutrition which is a substantial improvement compared to the pre-CMAM era. However, this is still a frustratingly low level of coverage and as Steve argues could be significantly higher if cheaper RUTFs were employed. Furthermore, Steve believes the real percentage coverage is probably much less than the globally cited 20% and that agencies which proclaim this coverage are not following the science.  In response to the slow pace of progress, Steve and colleagues have built the evidence base for a cheaper plant based (rather than milk based) RUTF to overcome one of the key obstacles to scale up which is affordability.  Steve shares his experience of how the evidence around plant based RUTF efficacy hasn’t penetrated the normative UN agency guidance for acute malnutrition treatment postulating why robust study findings have met with such resistance from several agencies. Part’s of his analysis of the RUTF story are critical and challenging and as the discussion unfolds, Steve discusses the role of international agencies and the aid system in perpetuating obstacles to transformation of aid including support for  the localization of capacity and response. 

N4D hope to have follow up podcasts with WHO, UNICEF and country actors concerned with scaling up CMAM.

Please join the debate! 

Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.co
Theme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz
© N4D Group 2024

Our Guest

Dr Steve Collins
Valid Nutrition – CEO and founder

Steve is a medical doctor with a doctorate in nutrition. He started working in humanitarian relief in Sudan in 1985, allocating and monitoring general ration distributions in West Darfur. Staying in villages that had been afflicted by famine, he gained first-hand insight into how impoverished communities with high levels of acute malnutrition interact with humanitarian relief.

MINI – SERIES: Country Led – rhetoric or reality?
Making international support more effective

In this mini-series, we discuss with nutrition leaders from country and global levels how to make international support for country-led nutrition action more coherent and effective. With our guests, we review progress over the last 15 years since the 2008 Lancet Nutrition Series. We touch on the key developments since this seminal publication including the SUN Movement, the Global Nutrition Report, Nutrition for Growth, linking nutrition to climate change, food system and other issues. We aim to identify concrete recommendations for what could be changed or introduced, building on successes to date, for international support to better address country priorities and needs.

Episode 13:
N4D Team
Country Led – rhetoric or reality?
The N4D team reflect on the mini -series 

In this episode, the N4D Directors reflect on the pod cast mini-series “Country-led… Rhetoric or Reality” during which N4D had conversations with nutrition leaders in three countries: Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Kenya and with two global leaders from the Scaling up Nutrition Movement. While our national nutrition leaders spoke positively about the SUN Movement and other global nutrition initiatives, there was also consensus around the pressing need for better longer-term aligned financing and tailored technical support. The N4D Directors also discuss emerging developments at the global level which might address these needs but don’t shy away from asking whether these developments are really enough to shift the dial to ensure that countries needs and priorities really are at the centre of global actions.

Please join the debate! 

Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.co
Theme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz
© N4D Group 2024

Our Guest

The N4D Team

 

Episode 12:
Afshan Khan
Country Led – rhetoric or reality?
How is the SUN Movement supporting country-led efforts to end malnutrition? 

In this episode Afshan Khan, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Coordinator of the SUN Movement shares her views on how SUN can provide tailored support to countries to scale up their efforts to end malnutrition in all its forms. She responds to issues raised by our country guests and David Nabarro in previous episodes. Questions addressed include: How does the SUN Movement link with other elements of the international nutrition and wider aid ecosystem, including the Global Nutrition Report, Nutrition for Growth and Climate COPs? How is the SUN Movement brokering technical support to countries, facilitating the sharing of learning between them and strengthening capabilities to mobilise financial resources? Should SUN Movement membership be open to high- as well as low- and middle-income countries? What are the opportunities for a global fund for nutrition? Fifteen years on from the first Lancet Series on nutrition, is there a need for a facilitated process to promote greater coherence and effectiveness in how the global nutrition ecosystem supports country-led efforts?  

Please join the debate! 

Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.co
Theme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz
© N4D Group 2024

Our Guest

Afshan Khan
UN Assistant Secretary-General,
Coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement

Episode 11:
David Nabarro
Country Led – rhetoric or reality?
A people centred, systems approach to nutrition. 

What was the original vision and approach of the Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) Movement when it started in 2010? Has the approach remained consistent over time? How should we judge success of nutrition actions and the SUN Movement? What are the risks to success? How do you implement a systems approach to nutrition in practice when departments and organisations tend to work in siloes? Should SUN Movement be open to higher as well as lower income countries? In this conversation with the N4D team David Nabarro addresses these questions and more.

Please join the debate! 

Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.co
Theme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz
© N4D Group 2024

Our Guest

David Nabarro
Strategic Director, 4SD Foundation

Episode 10:
Gladys Mugambi
Country Led – rhetoric or reality?
Strengthening domestic resource mobilisation and donor coordination

In this episode, Gladys explains how different interventions within Kenya´s multisectoral approach has led to progress in relation to key national nutrition targets. She highlights on-going challenges including the need to increase domestics resource allocations, further strengthen coordination across sectors, and the need for a greater focus on the promotion of healthy diets. The critical role of civil society organisations in advocating for these and other constraints to be addressed is recognised.
As with Sisay in the previous episode, Gladys identifies the need for international donors to further strengthen coordination between each other and with the Kenyan Government. She argues that the key priority for the global SUN Movement is to help countries to strengthen their capacities to mobilise the resources required. 

Please join the debate! 

Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.co
Theme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz
© N4D Group 2024

Our Guest

Gladys Mugambi
Head of the Directorate of Health Promotion and Education in Kenya’s Ministry of Health and Co-Chair of the global SUN Movement Executive Committee.

Episode 9:
Sisay Sinamo
Country Led – rhetoric or reality?
Matching international support with domestic commitments

In this episode, Sisay describes how Ethiopia has managed to reduce rates of stunting and what needs to be done to accelerate progress in order to meet national nutrition targets. He highlights the importance of high level political leadership and accountability at national and sub-national levels.
Dr Sisay calls on international partners to match domestic financial commitments and more strongly align their investments with country priorities. He argues that the strengthening of the national SUN Donor Network is vital for improving coordination between donors and with the Government. 

Please join the debate! 

Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.co
Theme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz
© N4D Group 2024

Our Guest

Sisay Sinamo
Senior Program Manager at Seqota Declaration Federal Program Delivery Unit

Episode 8:
Said Shamsul Islam Shams
Country Led – rhetoric or reality?
The role of international actors in mobilising country led, multisectoral nutrition action. 

In this episode, Shams describes how international support helped promote country led, multisectoral and multistakeholder actions for nutrition in Afghanistan. He highlights the importance of sustaining and adapting this support to changing circumstances even in highly complex contexts such as Afghanistan. Whilst international financial and technical assistance are vital, sustained, country specific advocacy also plays a vital role. 

Please join the debate! 

Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.co
Theme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz
© N4D Group 2024

Our Guest

Said Shamsul Islam Shams

Episode 7:
The N4D Team | Mini series Introduction
Country Led – rhetoric or reality?
Making international support more effective

In this episode, the N4D team introduce our new series ¨Country-led: rhetoric or reality?¨ in which we will be discussing with nutrition leaders from country and global levels how to make international support for country-led nutrition action more coherent and effective. It has been 15 years since the first Lancet nutrition series which concluded there was ¨an urgent need for new architecture and governance arrangements to address the highly fragmented and poorly led nutrition architecture¨.

Have the coherence and  effectiveness of international support to countries really increased over the last 15 years? What needs to be done now to increase the country level impact of the global nutrition architecture? With our guests, we aim to identify concrete recommendations, building on successes to date, for international support to better address country priorities and needs. 

Please join the debate! 

Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.co
Theme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz
© N4D Group 2024

Our Guests

The N4D Team
Episode 6, Part 3:
From KIPPRA: Eldah Onsomu, Isabella Kiplagat, Mohamednur Duba plus from KNBS: Mr. James Gatungu and Samuel Kipruto
Understanding NIPN. Conversations with Country Actors, Kenya
In this episode (No. 6, part 3), N4D interview several country actors, about the National Information Platform for Nutrition (NIPN). N4D have been working closely with global and country actors over the past year as part of an evaluation of NIPN commissioned by GIZ-C4N. This innovative and highly successful programme which is currently implemented in 9 countries, is gathering momentum with the prospect of being adapted and adopted in other country contexts.

In this podcast:

Kenya:
In this podcast we hear from Eldah Onsomu, Isabella Kiplagat and Mohamednur Duba in the Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) and James Gatungu and Samuel Kipruto from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) about the Kenya NIPFN platform. The positioning of NIPFN within these institutions, both which sit in the State Department for Planning, appears to be a pretty perfect fit. KIPPRA is mandated to provide policy guidance across all of Kenya’s ministries and to take policy research to impact whilst KNBS is mandated to generate and host quality data and its analysis.

In a short period of time, not helped by the COVID-19 pandemic, Kenya NIPFN has made massive strides in country including its visually impressive dashboard, several influential policy briefs and the elaboration of a harmonised nutrition indicator framework to monitor progress of the Kenya Nutrition Action Plan (KNAP).

The vision for NIPFN Kenya is even more impressive with plans to devolve NIPFN to 47 counties, and to produce county policy briefs which will feed into new County Nutrition Action Plans. There are also efforts being made to get the Treasury to include a nutrition code to help track government and development partner spend on nutrition and for these data to be used to update a finance study conducted a few years ago. We also get to hear a growing confidence within the NIPFN Team that the platform can be sustained should international development partner financing reduce or cease. 

Learn about our work and read our report about NIPN here

Visit:
NIPN  | GIZ  | KIPPRA Kenya | KNBS Kenya

Further reading:
NIPFN Kenya Publications

Please join the debate! 

Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.co
Theme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz
© N4D Group 2023

Our Guests

KIPPRA
Eldah Onsomu, PhD.​​​
Director Economic Management Unit
Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA).

Isabella Kiplagat, PhD
Senior Policy Analyst Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research and Analysis.

Mohamednur Abdi Duba
 Communications Officer. Corporate Communication and Media Department. Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA)

KNBS

James Gatungu
 NIPFN Project Manager (since commencement in Kenya in 2019). Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

Samuel Kipruto
 Senior Economist/Statistician and Senior Analyst/Advisor to NIPFN. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

Episode 6, Part 2:
Mohamed Ag Bendech, Mahamane Issiak Balarabé, Mababou Kebe and Aregash Samuel Hafebo
Understanding NIPN. Conversations with Country Actors, Niger & Ethiopia

In this episode (No. 6, part 2), N4D interview several country actors, about the National Information Platform for Nutrition (NIPN). N4D have been working closely with global and country actors over the past year as part of an evaluation of NIPN commissioned by GIZ-C4N. This innovative and highly successful programme which is currently implemented in 9 countries, is gathering momentum with the prospect of being adapted and adopted in other country contexts.

In this podcast:

Niger: Balarabe, Mohamed and Mababou discuss how proud they are of the hard won achievements with implementing NIPN in Niger. Key amongst these has been the systematic collation and cleaning of complex data sets, the analysis of this data based on priority policy focussed questions including nutrition and climate change, gender disparities and food systems considerations. They also discuss the tough decisions they have had to take and enormous amount of collective effort to get NIPN to where it is now….as central to Niger’s efforts to monitor progress with tackling malnutrition.

Ethiopia: Dr Aregash Samuel Hafebo from EPHI in Ethiopia explains why this Public Health Institute under the MoH is such a good fit for NIPN in terms of its role vis is a vis the National Food and Nutrition Strategy and the monitoring of this strategy’s implementation. She also describes the areas NIPN Ethiopia are excelling in like the posting of meta data sets on the NIPN dashboard in a country where the data sharing culture is weak as well as how NIPN plans to devolve to 6 regions where EPHI currently have offices.

Learn about our work and read our report about NIPN here

Visit:
NIPN  | GIZ  | NIPN Niger | NIPN Ethiopia

Please join the debate! 

Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.co
Theme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz
© N4D Group 2023

Our Guests

Mohamed Ag Bendech – NIPN Niger
Analyst with NIPN Niger on Food Systems and Nutrition. Previously in Mali with Helen Keller International, UNICEF and FAO as a nutrition specialist.

Mababou Kebe – NIPN Niger
A socio-demographer with extensive experience in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of statistical development projects and programmes.

Mahamane Issiak Balarabé – NIPN Niger
Coordinator of NIPN in Niger. Extensive experience in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of statistical development projects and programmes.

Aregash Samuel Hafebo – NIPN Ethiopia
A nutritionist, senior researcher in the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI). She serves as the coordinator for the National Information Platform for Nutrition (NIPN) project since 2019.

Episode 6, Part 1:
Christoph Langenkamp and Rebecca Heidkamp
Understanding NIPN. Conversations with Global Actors

In this episode (No. 6, part 1), N4D interview two global actors, Christoph Langenkamp and Rebecca Heidkamp, about the National Information Platform for Nutrition (NIPN). N4D have been working closely with global and country actors over the past year as part of an evaluation of NIPN commissioned by GIZ-C4N. This innovative and highly successful programme which is currently implemented in 9 countries, is gathering momentum with the prospect of being adapted and adopted in other country contexts.

In the podcast Christoph describes how the original vision and focus for NIPN moved from a programme largely about harnessing existing nutrition data in country to a programme focussing on multi-sector nutrition data and it’s role in informing policy development and multisector nutrition planning.

Rebecca Heidkamp provides a context for NIPN in relation to other global nutrition data initiatives describing what is unique about the NIPN approach but also cautioning how governments need to prioritise budgets for national nutrition information platforms within their nutrition action plans.

Learn about our work and read our report about NIPN here

Visit:
NIPN  | GIZ  | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School for Public Health

Please join the debate! 

Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.co
Theme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz
© N4D Group 2023

Our Guests

Christoph Langenkamp
Programme Director ‘Knowledge for Nutrition’ (K4N)
giz.de

Rebecca Heidkamp
Associate Research Professor,
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Episode 5:
The N4D Team
Reflections on the podcast series so far

In Episode 5, the N4D team reflects on what we have heard so far during our first three conversations and identifies key lessons learnt and emerging issues. We know what needs to be done to end malnutrition, but we do not have the political will. In the words of Shawn Baker, nutrition must become a political non-negotiable. We heard how we already have very good internationally agreed principles to guide the way that aid is provided but the aid system urgently needs reforming to ensure that those principles are translated into reality. More sustainable progress is possible even in countries affected by protracted fragility and conflict if there is a more nuanced understanding of local political and economic contexts, longer term, more integrated approaches and greater trust in local actors and systems.

However, reform requires engagement with politicians in donor countries to raise awareness that the political risks of maintaining the status quo are greater than doing things differently.

Please join the debate! 

Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.co
Theme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz
© N4D Group 2023

Our Guest

The N4D Team

Episode 4:
Shawn K. Baker
Malnutrition is a political choice

In this episode, the N4D team discuss with Shawn Baker. Shawn is the Chief Program Officer with Helen Keller Intl and was formerly head of nutrition for USAID and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He has also occupied senior leadership roles in international multistakeholder initiatives including the Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) Movement and the Global Nutrition Report. Shawn talks about his life journey from rural northwest Pennsylvania and studying marine biology to a lifelong career in public health nutrition. He highlights success stories from countries that have reduced malnutrition, the ingredients of success as well as challenges that are hindering progress around the world. He highlights the qualities needed by nutrition leaders at national and international levels. For background information on issues discussed, please see the episode notes below. Please share your comments, ideas and experiences.

Please join the debate! 

Reading list:

Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.co
Theme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz
© N4D Group 2023

Our Guest

Shawn K. Baker
Chief Program Officer, Helen Keller Intl. Shawn leads Helen Keller’s efforts to support our world’s most vulnerable communities through strengthening food and health systems using scientifically proven solutions that are feasible, scalable, and equitable

Episode 3:
Karima Al-Hada´a:
Sustainable solutions to malnutrition in Yemen

In this episode, Carmel, Chris and Jeremy discuss the politics of adopting more sustainable solutions to malnutrition in Yemen with Karima Al-Hada´a. Karima is the Planning & Liaison Specialist in the Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) Secretariat in Yemen, Assistant National Food Systems Convenor and a member of the global SUN Movement Executive Committee. The SUN Yemen Secretariat, within the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MOPIC), is the lead national entity responsible for coordinating all investments and actions for nutrition across sectors, throughout the country. Karima discusses the opportunities and challenges of scaling up development actions to prevent malnutrition and strengthening public systems, alongside humanitarian assistance. For background information on issues discussed, please see the episode notes below. Please share your comments, ideas and experiences.
Please join the debate! 

Reading list:

  • You can find information and analysis on the political situation in Yemen here:
  • Crisis Group Org
  • Find out more about N4D´s work in Yemen
  • You can also find a link to the Yemen Multisectoral Nutrition Action Plan on that page. 
  • We recommend reading the Chatham House paper, on aid strategies in ‘politically estranged´ settings, mentioned by Chris at the end of the podcast.

Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.co
Theme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz
© N4D Group 2023

Our Guest

Karima Al-Hada´a
Planning & Liaison Specialist in the Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) Secretariat in Yemen, Assistant National Food Systems Convenor and a member of the global SUN Movement Executive Committee

Episode 2:
Habib Ur Rehman Mayar:
Trusting local actors and solutions in conflict affected countries 

In this episode, Carmel, Chris and Jeremy discuss the politics of aid in fragile states with Habib Ur Rehman Mayar, Deputy General Secretary of the g7+ Secretariat and Executive Director of g7+ Foundation. The g7+ is an intergovernmental organisation made up of conflict-affected countries, providing a platform to collectively voice the need for national dialogue and reconciliation; advocate for effective development cooperation founded on the principles of country ownership, transparency and mutual accountability; and facilitate sharing of first-hand experience and good development practices. In this conversation, Habib advocates for reforms to the international aid system to support country led, sustainable development and solutions to conflict.

Reading list: 

Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.co
Theme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz
© N4D Group 2023

Our Guest

Habib Ur Rehman Mayar
Deputy General Secretary of the g7+ Secretariat

Episode 1:
The N4d Team
Discuss paving the way for challenging conversations on driving political change for nutrition and development.

In this first episode of ¨The Politics of Ending Malnutrition¨, the N4D Directors, Carmel, Chris and Jeremy, discuss the purpose of the Podcast and how it relates to N4D´s country focussed strategy. They explain how the series of exciting and challenging conversations with decision makers will explore the way in which political and economic issues enable and hinder the scale up of evidence-based solutions to end malnutrition around the world.

Reading list:
For the definition of political economy quoted by Chris and a guide to understanding political economy analysis and thinking and working politically, learn more here

For information on the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus

The Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement

To read background on CMAM – the Community Based Management of Acute Malnutrition and the barriers to scale up and how they might be overcome

 

Credits: Recorded edited and published by: N4D & Nutriat.co
Theme tune: Saraweto, used with kind permission of Just East of Jazz
© N4D Group 2023

Available on all major podcast platforms

Please contact the N4D team here