MENA Nutrition Strategic Direction 2030
Accelerating context-specific nutrition action in the MENA region
Highlights
The UNICEF Nutrition Strategic Direction 2030 for the Middle East and North Africa Region outlines UNICEF’s intent to leverage the food, health, water and sanitation, education, and social protection systems to accelerate the prevention, early detection and treatment of malnutrition for children, adolescents and women in the region till the end of this decade.
Guided by the UNICEF Global Nutrition Strategy 2020–2030, the MENA Nutrition Strategic Direction (2024–2030) describes how UNICEF will operationalize the Global Nutrition Strategy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, in line with the regional priorities and country context.
Despite some progress in reducing stunting over the last two decades in the region, today there are 77 million children (0-19 years) and 123 million adult women living with at least one form of malnutrition in the region. This crisis of malnutrition in the region is occurring against a complex backdrop of protracted conflict, climate change, economic downturn and fragility.
The Nutrition Strategic Direction 2024-2030 articulates UNICEF’s commitment to accelerate progress in improving the nutrition of children, adolescents, and women in the 20 countries of the region through rights-based and context-specific programming.
Part 1 of this document provides an overview of the UNICEF Regional Nutrition Strategic Direction. It outlines how UNICEF will: (1) prioritize nutrition results in MENA countries; (2) accelerate actions to achieve priority results; and (3) monitor progress on its nutrition actions as a contribution to the UNICEF global Nutrition Strategy.
Part 2 of this document identifies four diverse country clusters in the MENA region. It describes how UNICEF will tailor its programming to prioritize results, accelerate actions and monitor progress within these specific contexts to achieve nutrition results for children.
