Translating nutrition commitments into action with ‘nutrition-responsive budgeting’

A nutrition-responsive budget can be a powerful tool for improving nutrition outcomes. Copyright: Mohamad Al-Arief/World Bank

Adequate nutrition is foundational for human and economic development, as it directly impacts cognitive development, educational attainment, and workforce productivity, ultimately driving economic growth. The upcoming Nutrition for Growth (N4G) summit is critical for securing renewed commitments and investments in nutrition interventions, aiming to address global malnutrition challenges and build healthier, more prosperous societies.

But the hard work begins after the conference when countries and partners will have to turn their commitments into action. A key step in this process is “nutrition-responsive budgeting.”

How budgets can turn commitments into action

Budgets aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet, but powerful tools to support the health and well-being of a population. That's the vision behind nutrition-responsive budgeting, an approach that integrates nutritional goals into the government budget to ensure a vision is funded and commitments are turned into action.

A new World Bank e-learning course on nutrition-responsive budgeting can help you become a champion of this process.

Why nutrition responsive budgeting?

An effective nutrition response necessitates robust government action, including allocating resources to priority interventions and a strategic and coordinated response. However, many public financial management (PFM) systems often fall short in addressing the complex and multi-sectoral needs of malnutrition.

These systems, typically structured by individual sector ministries, struggle to facilitate the necessary coordination mechanisms and accountability structures across diverse actors and funding streams. Without necessary adjustments, these systems are unlikely to deliver the desired outcomes.

Imagine a scenario where the health sector invests into nutritional supplements, but inadequate access to clean water reverses any potential gains. Without cross-sectoral coordination, the impact one sector can have on its own would be significantly diminished.

This is where nutrition-responsive budgeting comes in. It's about adapting PFM systems to effectively address nutrition needs. This involves:

• Identifying and prioritizing nutrition related interventions across sectors: This means going beyond traditional health interventions to include investments in agriculture, education, social protection, and water and sanitation. For example, promoting diversified farming practices, integrating nutrition education into school curricula, and strengthening social safety nets to ensure food security.
• Ensuring oversight of funded programs and identifying critical gaps: This requires robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track the flow of funds and assess the impact of nutrition-related programs. It also involves identifying areas where funding is inadequate or where programs are not reaching target populations.  
• Facilitating government agencies to monitor implementation and hold stakeholders accountable: This involves strengthening institutional capacity for nutrition planning and budgeting and fostering collaboration among different sectors. It also involves establishing clear accountability mechanisms to ensure that resources are used effectively and efficiently.
• Triangulating expenditure data with outcome data for evidence-based course correction: This means using data to track progress towards nutrition goals and to identify areas where adjustments are needed. It also involves using data to inform policy decisions and to advocate for increased investment in nutrition.

What you can expect from the e-learning course

Now, you can learn more about nutrition-responsive budgeting by participating in our online course.  This course is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to understand and implement nutrition-responsive budgeting. You'll learn what it means to prioritize nutrition, integrate plans into budgets, tag budgets, monitor release of funds and implementation, and ensure evidence-based course correction. Together, this will help you support an enabling environment that facilitates a well-coordinated and effective nutrition response by government.

Our curriculum delves into the complexities of integrating nutrition into budget planning. You'll explore real-world case studies, learn practical tools and techniques, and engage with experts in the field.

This course—which is free of charge and accessible to the public—is tailored for a diverse audience, including government officials, policymakers, development practitioners, civil society organizations, and anyone passionate about improving nutrition outcomes. By completing this course, you will be able to more effectively analyze current budgets and suggest changes that will positively impact nutrition—which can help drive positive change in your community and contribute to a healthier, more prosperous future.

Enroll in our online course today and join a global movement to transform budgets into powerful tools for improving nutrition. Let's work together to build a world where every budget contributes to a healthier, more nourished population.

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