Dr. Saskia Osendarp Executive Director, Micronutrient Forum Co-Founder, Standing Together for Nutrition

1. DELIVERING FOR NUTRITION IN SOUTH ASIA
Implementation Research in the Context of COVID-19
1 December, 2021
Dr. Saskia Osendarp
Executive Director, Micronutrient Forum
Co-Founder, Standing Together for Nutrition
How data can lead to impact
Global situation analysis of the impact
of COVID-19 on maternal and child
health and nutrition

2. In 2020, the world was NOT
on track to meet the SDGs
on malnutrition in all its
forms, and progress was not
equal.
Now the COVID-19
pandemic poses an
unprecedented threat to
hunger and malnutrition.

3. Triple Threatofthe Pandemic:
the extraordinary loss of jobs and incomes
disrupted food systems decreasing access and availability of
nutrient-rich diets
disrupted essential health services
such as for severe wasting
THE COVID 19 CRISIS

4. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

5. Lancet July 2020
July 2020: Call to Action signed by 4 UN Agency Heads

6. ST4N continued efforts after
July 2020
• Oct – Dec 2020: second round of modeling
• 3-year time horizon x 3 scenarios (O,M,P)
• Looked at multiple nutrition outcomes (wasting, stunting, maternal
anemia & low BMI) as well as economic losses due to human capital
impacts
• Complementary analysis on impacts on cost of a healthy diet
• Estimate investment cost to regain losses
• Still limited by lack of “real time” data on coverage & nutrition
outcomes
• Pre-print in Nature Food in Dec 2020 / published in Apr 2021
• Early 2021: ST4N phase 2 starts
• Continued advocacy
• Gendered impact of COVID19 on nutrition
• Knowledge Management
• Country case studies

7. https://www.standingtogetherfornutrition.org

8. EVIDENCE GENERATED BYMODELING

10. DATA CAN GENERATE IMPACT
UNICEF: Analytic Framework for
COVID, children and malnutrition
SOFI 2021 report
USAID Comms (Website & N4G
Commitment, Media Interviews)
BMGF Commitment (Melinda
Gates)
Nutrition for Growth Materials
CSO advocacy materials (Save the
Children, Power of Nutrition, etc.)