South Sudan Renews Commitment to End Malnutrition Through High-Level Forum and National Dialogue
South Sudan has taken a bold step in its fight against malnutrition in a High-Level Consultative Forum on the Sale of Therapeutic Food and Oversight of Nutrition for Growth, a global initiative aimed at ending malnutrition in all its forms.
The High-Level Forum brought together governments, donors, businesses, and civil society to make financial and policy commitments to improve nutrition outcomes (N4G Commitments) and a National Stakeholder Dialogue on Post-N4G Financing for Nutrition.
The discussions tackled urgent challenges including nutrition financing gaps, the diversion of life-saving therapeutic food for illegal sale, and the status of South Sudan’s commitments made at the 2021 Tokyo Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit under the theme “Post-N4G Financing for Nutrition: A Pathway to Achieving Government Commitments to Ending Malnutrition.”
These commitments include reducing child wasting from 16.2% to 5%, lowering stunting to 10% by 2030, and allocating 10% of the national budget to multi-sectoral nutrition initiatives.
Despite a sharp decline in nutrition-related budget allocations—from 9.6% in 2021 to just 1.3% in 2025 participants and parliamentarians pledged renewed momentum, including the need to address the misuse of therapeutic food and push for stronger nutrition funding during the ongoing budget session.
Civil society organizations, led by the SUN Civil Society Alliance and the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO)- funded Right2Grow consortium, presented compelling evidence of the unauthorized sale of therapeutic foods in urban markets. This triggered immediate commitments to develop and table a legal framework to combat the malpractice.
The Stakeholder Dialogue called for the full domestication of the Maputo and Abuja Declarations (10% allocation for agriculture and 15% for health), increased gender-responsive investments, and the launch of a national Post-N4G Accountability Framework by the fourth quarter of 2025.
Participants emphasized the importance of aligning South Sudan’s nutrition strategy with broader regional and continental initiatives, including the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the CAADP Post-Malabo Agenda, and the EAC Vision 2050.
With active participation from the Dutch and French embassies, UN agencies, IGAD, and technical ministries, the events served as a powerful platform for renewed political commitment, accountability, and cross-sectoral collaboration. As South Sudan moves into the post-N4G era, these joint efforts offer a clear roadmap for achieving a well-nourished, resilient population.
