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Knowledge for policy
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Enhancing global support to address complex sustainable development policy challenges: Learning from success in cross-sectoral nutrition policy

Global Food and Nutrition Security

Malnutrition is hampering achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), and requires policy approaches that address food system drivers. However, this will require the adoption of cross-sectoral policy measures for nutrition, which has proved challenging in practice. This qualitative co-designed study drew on theories of policy learning to examine the roles of global organisations in fostering and supporting effective cross-sectoral policy action to improve nutrition. Forty-three in-depth interviews were conducted with government actors at global, regional and national level. Key roles of global institutions to support scaling up of effective cross-sectoral policy for nutrition included the development of best-practice guidance, provision of operational and other forms of support, convening to enable political awareness and commitment and coordination to create shared vision. Opportunities to improve global support included improving global coordination, developing incentives to use global guidance and rethinking processes and strategies to support contextual adaptation of global guidance.