Annual General Meeting SUN CSA Laos Update 2019

Annual General Meeting SUN CSA Laos Update 2019 -2020 25 August 2020

What is SUN? SUN is a global movement committed to scaling up nutrition, with a focus on reducing hunger and undernutrition in children and other vulnerable groups SUN is based on the principle that all people have the right to food and good nutrition It is believed that working together to scale up nutrition in SUN countries, we are achieving what no one of us can do alone

The Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Alliance in Lao PDR (SUN CSA) is a formal network established in 2014 to promote sustainable improvement in the nutrition status in Laos, in particular women and children during their first 1, 000 days of life. We all help each other to improve nutrition in Laos.

Civil Society in Laos improves nutrition for all A sustainable, effective Civil Society Alliance that contributes to the development and implementation of the country’s commitments to food and nutrition security will contribute to Sustainable improvement in the nutritional status of people in Lao PDR.

Increasing Networks Improves Nutrition Composition of SUN CSA Laos Ø 47 members in 2015 Ø 55 members in 2016 -2017 Ø 63 members in 2017 -2018 Ø 68 members in 2018 -2019 ØCurrently 75 members Ø(7 new NPAs in 12 months) SUN CSA also a member of LIWG, INGO and LCN. INGOs NPAs Technical Institutes Network Social Enterprise 27 40 3 3 2 Total 75

Financial Support for SUN CSA in 2019 -2020 Save the Children (with funding from Irish Aid) • Advocacy strategy development and workshops. • Website development • Breastfeeding week printing and support • COVID-19 trainings: in-person, ZOOM • COVID-19 Facebook awareness activities - competitions • SUN CSA Weekly Hangouts • SUN CSA Secretariat Consultant. CARE • BMS Code research (ongoing) • World Breastfeeding Week training – August 2020 HELVETAS (with funding from EU) • LANN To. T Master training. PLAN International Laos (with funding from EU and Plan Germany) • Secretariat’s salary, office space/rent and running costs. • AGM – 25 th August 2020 • Sub-Grant for Implementing Nutrition Action (5 NPAs) • Nutrition Stakeholder Learning Workshop – 26 th August 2020 Multiple other organisations contributing funds, staff and resources

SUN CSA Laos Strategy The SUN CSA Strategy was developed in a consultative process with NPAs & other Lao civil society, INGOs, and other nutrition sector stakeholders. For 2016 -2022 the SUN CSA Laos Strategy focuses on: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Capacity Building Knowledge Hub Partnership broker Policy Dialogue Management and Governance

Overall Key Actions by the Lao SUN CSA • Influencing on the development of the Lao Prime Ministerial Decree 472 on the Control of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes • Conducted awareness campaigns on Breastfeeding and COVID-19, that reached over 1. 5 million people in Laos. • Increasing civil society engagement in National dialogue on nutrition • Raising awareness and technical capacity of Lao Civil Society on nutrition, on government nutrition plans and on the role of civil society in addressing malnutrition. • Organizing study tours, workshops and training events, commissioning reports and developed videos and publications focusing on the nutrition sector and civil society’s role

2019 -20 Highlights

1. Capacity building of members • The first part of the SUN CSA strategy is acting as a service provider to members. • The emphasis is on capacity building services on nutrition related interventions, building the in-house capacities of its members to successfully engage in nutrition sensitive programs with a strong focus on gender and social inclusion. • In 2019 -20 the SUN CSA facilitated and helped organize trainings, workshops, and forum for NPA members. • Focused on COVID-19 knowledge, including nutrition during COVID

Examples of 2019 -20 capacity building • Systems Thinking training (May 2019): supported by RDA • Advocacy Workshop x 3 (Aug, February & August 2020): Supported by Irish Aid • LANN Master To. T (Aug 2019); Supported by: HELVETAS & SNV. • COVID-19 training for SUN members (April); supported by SCI. • SUN CSA Weekly Hangouts (April. August): supported by many orgs. • Many other trainings inside individual nutrition projects

ZOOM Hangouts ‘New Normal’ Skills Sharing • Started SUN CSA Weekly ZOOM ‘Hangouts’ • Focus on technical learning: initially on COVID-19, then expanded to other topics • Peer-to-peer learning • Allowed provincial staff to attend networking and capacity development opportunities Topics included: • COVID-19 prevention; • working safely in villages; • back to school C 19 projects; • Managing stress • BMS Code

2. Knowledge Hub The SUN CSA is designed to be a knowledge hub on nutrition, developing and managing storage of essential information, documentation and materials for use by members and others.

Key Knowledge Hub activities in 2019 -2020 • Website was updated with new nutrition material. • Facebook page and group sharing information • Page - 2200 followers – up from 750 followers in 2019 • Group – 400 members – up from 137 members in 2019 • 160 posts since April 2019 – 10 posts per month • In past year SUN CSA posts have been seen by over 1. 5 million people in Laos. • Whats. App group - COVID-19 – 124 members • You. Tube page – 10 new videos in past year. • Regular emails sharing member updates ____________________________________________________ Need more support from members • Share their material – for website and Facebook • Like the Facebook Page/ Group and share the posts

SUN CSA links • Facebook page: https: //www. facebook. com/suncsalaos / • Facebook Group: https: //www. facebook. com/groups/sun csalao/ • You. Tube: https: //www. youtube. com/channel/UC 7 ZT 8 js 2 X 1 Z 2 Rtmp. AC 5 Hz. Tw? view_as=su bscriber • Website: https: //www. suncsalaos. org/

3. Partnership broker The SUN CSA promotes its members to form partnerships in order to implement projects that support implementation of the NNSPA. The SUN CSA makes members aware of donor opportunities and pro-actively seeks to link members with complementary skill sets with one another. • Provincial Coordination and Focal Points increased • SUN CSA facilitated connections: • LANN Master To. T for 12 staff from 8 organizations. • Fundraising training

Key Partnership Brokering in 2019 -2020 • Provincial Coordination meetings increased • SUN CSA Focal Points now in 9 Provinces • SUN CSA facilitated LANN Master To. T for 12 staff from 8 organizations.

4. Policy dialogue The SUN CSA acts as an advocacy platform. SUN CSA aims to influence policies and technical guidelines of the Government of Lao PDR and Development Partners in order to ensure the needs and rights of disadvantaged groups are included equally in nutrition actions.

Key Policy dialogue actions in 2019 -2020 Key examples of 2019 -20 actions include: • Presented SUN CSA Outcome statement and display booth at the National Nutrition Forum in December 2019. • Collected member information for the Nutrition Stakeholder Mapping for NNC. • Participating in Provincial level Nutrition Committee meetings • Participating in national level development partner meetings • Held nutrition awareness booths at WBW; CSO Fair; LWU Day and other events • Supported awareness campaigns for WBW, including 3 videos; training, online activity • Conducted COVID awareness campaigns

5. Management and Governance • The SUN CSA has developed a sustainable governance and management structure, that is responsive to members’ needs. This includes a broad membership base, inclusive of diverse local and international civil society. • Broad mix of NPA, INGO, and other international and national civil society members • Increasing engagement by members this year • Secretariat strong engagement with members • New Coordinator – Ms Tukta Sonesaksith • Management Committee is composed of 7 positions: Currently 1 NPA members, and 4 INGO members, all elected by SUN CSA members. (2 vacant position) • Successful role-out of the Advocacy Strategy • Challenge of MC turn-over, maintaining engagement from members

Key challenges for SUN CSA in Lao PDR • Context of civil society in Laos • Turnover in MC members • Challenge to access funding in clear and timely manner • Lack of time to implement all goals • Challenge to access long-term technical support/expertise • Communication • Engaging all members

Working together, we can overcome these challenges!