THOUSANDS OF YOUNG ACTIVISTS CALL FOR LEADERS TO ADDRESS MALNUTRITION WORLDWIDE Friday March 28 – Young activists fighting hunger and malnutrition across the globe have called on political leaders to drive up family incomes, improve school feeding programmes and warned against ultra-processed foods. The declaration made at the Nutrition for Growth Summit in Paris on […]
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Civil Societies launch a common declaration at Nutrition for Growth Summit (N4G) in Paris 2025
In the margins of the N4G Summit, civil society organisations from across the world gathered for two days in the Civil Society Pavilion to confront pressing challenges in the nutrition landscape and shape a path forward. From these discussions, civil society united behind a set of key recommendations, with over a hundred organisations supporting this […]
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National Youth Coordinators Retreat
On 24-28 April 2023, the SUN CSN team hosted an in-person retreat in Kenya to welcome the 20 newly selected National Youth Coordinators (NYCs). The purpose of the retreat was for the NYCs to meet each other and the CSN team. In addition, the retreat served to equip these young individuals with the skills and […]
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The Small Grants Programme Report is here!
Since 2018 SUN CSN has run a small grants programme, which invites interested & eligible CSAs and their members to apply for small grants, to implement and pilot small projects for research or innovation purposes over a 6-month period. Between 2018 – 2022 The SUN CSN Small Grants Programme has run four cycles of funding […]
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A new chapter for youth leadership on nutrition for the SUN CSN!
This year, the SUN CSN Secretariat is very excited to be launching the next phase of the successful Youth Leaders for Nutrition Program, and we’re inviting all CSN Members to join us in recruiting the next generation of young change-makers on nutrition. What does this new phase look like? Previously, the SUN CSN has supported […]
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The Youth: Secret Ingredient for a Sustainable Food System
Food and Nutrition Youth Network (FNYN) Philippines Launched By: Rose Jade Eugenie Delgado SUN Youth Leader for Nutrition & FNYN Philippines Convenor In the recipe of shaping a more sustainable food system, we need: a cup of policy changes by governments, a pinch of investment and innovation from businesses and the private sector, a dash of advocacy from Civil Society Organizations, a […]
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ADN Juvenil Perú trabaja en procesos de incidencia a favor de la Nutrición en 8 regiones del país
Líderes de colectivos de jóvenes de 8 regiones del país formaron la plataforma ADN Juvenil Perú que busca contribuir en la lucha contra todas las formas de malnutrición colocando el tema en la agenda de las autoridades regionales. Para ello desarrollan acciones de activismo e incidencia política como vigilancia colaborativa, seguimiento del presupuesto público destinado […]
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The SUN Civil Society Network launches its new 5-year strategy!
Why do we need a new CSN strategy? The Civil Society Network 3.0 strategy (2021-2025) constitutes an essential guide to rally all civil society members’ collective efforts behind a strong mission and vision. The CSN 3.0 strategy was designed for the Network by the Network, in alignment with the overall SUN Movement 3.0 strategy. As such, the […]
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Meet the women of the CSN: Anayat Sidhu
Youth Leader for Nutrition, Canada My work in nutrition I cannot overemphasize enough my enthusiasm for being a part of the YL4N program. To be able to engage with individuals that I greatly admire every day is a true honour. Additionally, the chance to learn from others is what I highly value. To be able […]
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Prioritising Youth Voices During the Year of Action for Nutrition for Growth
2021: A year overflowing with opportunities It’s 2021, and although very little may have changed so far in comparison to 2020 (come on, vaccines!), there has already been a huge shift: it is now officially the Year of Action for Nutrition. Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in devastating losses to the decades of progress on […]
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2021: A year overflowing with opportunities
It’s 2021, and although very little may have changed so far in comparison to 2020 (come on, vaccines!), there has already been a huge shift: it is now officially the Year of Action for Nutrition.
Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in devastating losses to the decades of progress on nutrition, but this year can be different. 2021 is overflowing with opportunities for the world to take meaningful action to reverse those losses. Together, we can build back better – with a focus on nutrition as a fundamental part of recovery.
Throughout the year’s key events, including the World Health Assembly, the Food Systems Summit, COP26 and UNGA, and culminating in the Nutrition for Growth Summit in December, governments and businesses will have the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to a world free from malnutrition in all its forms by making new policy and financial commitments.
It is crucial that any new nutrition commitments take into account the perspectives and experiences of young people – and for this reason, it is vital that young people are positioned at front and centre of nutrition advocacy.
Why youth voices are important
The health and nutrition of adolescents are becoming global priorities. There are over 1.2 billion adolescents aged 10-19 in the world1 and nearly a quarter of the people in Sub-Saharan Africa are aged 10 to 192. Different stages of the life cycle dictate differing nutrient needs. Due to the spurt of growth that occurs in adolescence, several nutrients are at greater deficiency risk, including iron and calcium. To develop to their optimal potential, it is vital that adolescents choose nutritionally sound diets. This may spell the difference between health and risk of disease in later years.
Adolescents themselves have the best understanding of young people’s needs, how to address them, and how to get them involved. Because of this, youth voices can be an incredibly powerful force for bringing about the changes they want to see.
Listening to young people not only makes sense when considering nutrition interventions for children and young people – it is also an ethical issue. Children and young people have a right to participation and to be heard. They will inherit the problems that the world is currently facing (and in some cases, creating), so their solutions should be taken seriously. But as Mike Khunga, Youth Leader for Nutrition from Malawi, so elegantly put in a recent blog, “[young people] are the future, but we are also the present.” They are often hit hardest by global challenges such as pandemics and economic recessions, and their lived experiences need to be at the forefront of conversations about how to solve these challenges.
How the Youth Leaders for Nutrition have been raising their voices
Since 2018, the SUN CSN Youth Leaders for Nutrition have been raising their voices on behalf of young people all around the world to advocate for an end to malnutrition in their own communities and globally. The Youth Leaders have a wealth of experience speaking at high-level events and conferences such as the UN General Assembly, SUN Global Gathering, IFAD, and many more.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Youth Leaders have continued to exercise their influence by speaking at online events, writing blogs, and much more, working with organisations including UNICEF and Save the Children. The Youth Leaders even set up their own webinar for World Food Day 2020!
Working with the Youth Leaders for Nutrition
If you have an upcoming event or other advocacy opportunity and you would like to work with the Youth Leaders for Nutrition, please download and complete our Opportunity Form and send it to Hannah Taaffe, Advocacy and Youth Advisor at the SUN CSN Secretariat.
Youth Leader Opportunity Application Form
1 UNICEF, October 2019 (https://tinyurl.com/29fje3s9)
2 UNICEF, October 2019 (https://data.unicef.org/topic/adolescents/demographics/)
