Government institutions, implementing sectors, and development partners convened in Adama for the 2018 EFY Food and Nutrition Technical Committee Annual Review and Annual Planning Meeting to review progress, discuss findings from the 2018 Joint Supportive Supervision (JSS), and identify priorities for the 2019 EFY Food and Nutrition Plan.
The meeting brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Women and Social Affairs and other government institutions, alongside development partners including CARE, World Vision, Save the Children, FHI 360 Alive & Thrive, ECSC-SUN, and other nutrition stakeholders.
Throughout the four-day event, participants engaged in interactive presentations, panel discussions, and group work sessions, creating a platform for experience sharing, joint problem-solving, and collaborative planning. The discussions underscored the importance of a coordinated, multisectoral approach to addressing malnutrition and improving food and nutrition security across Ethiopia.
Progress and Key Achievements
Participants reviewed achievements recorded during the past year, highlighting strengthened collaboration among sectors and partners to improve nutrition outcomes nationwide. Progress was reported in the expansion of school feeding and nutrition initiatives, improvements in food safety and quality systems, and ongoing efforts to enhance agricultural productivity and food availability through research and innovation.
The meeting also recognized advances in integrated One WASH initiatives, which have improved access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services as critical interventions for preventing malnutrition and reducing disease burden among vulnerable populations.
Stakeholders further noted efforts to empower women across food production, processing, and food preparation activities, recognizing their vital role in ensuring household food security and better nutrition outcomes for children and families.
An important cross-cutting theme highlighted during the meeting was the growing application of the Humanitarian–Development–Peace (HDP) Triple Nexus approach, which aims to strengthen collaboration across emergency response, long-term development, and peace-building efforts to build more resilient communities and sustainable nutrition outcomes.
Priorities for 2019 EFY
Participants agreed on several priorities for the coming year, including:
- Strengthening integrated food and nutrition interventions across sectors.
- Expanding school health and nutrition programs and innovative approaches to improve access to nutritious foods.
- Scaling up One WASH interventions to support malnutrition prevention and improved health outcomes.
- Strengthening food safety, food quality assurance, and food fortification initiatives.
- Promoting women’s empowerment and participation throughout food systems and value chains.
- Enhancing research, evidence generation, monitoring, and learning to inform policy and programming.
- Advancing the Humanitarian–Development–Peace Nexus approach to strengthen resilience and ensure sustainable nutrition gains.
- Improving coordination, accountability, and joint planning among government institutions and development partners.
During the closing session on July 16, 2026, participants agreed that the refined 2019 EFY Food and Nutrition Plan would be submitted within one week, while the final official plan is expected to be finalized within one month.
In his closing remarks, Yonatan Mamo, Multisectoral and Seqota declaration coordination Desk Lead at the Ministry of Health, expressed appreciation to ECSC-SUN and other development partners for their continued technical support and commitment to advancing Ethiopia’s food and nutrition agenda.
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