Public resources are needed to finance nutritional interventions. How these resources are managed determines how effectively governments can combat malnutrition. But public financial management (PFM) systems are often not designed to meet the multi-sectoral needs necessary for an effective nutrition response.
- Adequate nutrition is essential to building a healthy and productive life. Yet this cannot be taken for granted. In many countries, progress remains slow and too many children are being left behind.
- An effective nutrition response requires effective government action. This requires sufficient allocation of public resources to priority and high-impact interventions and good management of these resources.
- Managing an effective nutritional response requires good coordination and accountability between the many actors and funding sources involved. Government public financial management systems are generally not designed to facilitate this. They are organized by sectors and facilitate sectoral management and vertical accountability. Without adequate adjustments, such a system is unlikely to work.
- This guide shows what it takes to make a public financial management system meet nutritional needs. Making the right adjustments will identify the right intervention and prioritization across all sectors. This will monitor what has been funded and any critical gaps that remain. Once funded, it will help government agencies monitor implementation and hold stakeholders accountable for progress. It will triangulate spending data with outcomes data to enable evidence-based course correction.
- A nutrition-friendly budget does not involve investing in new systems and technologies. Governments may already have solutions in place that guide resource management to support the provision of other global public goods. Building on these systems can accelerate reform efforts, help identify champions within finance ministries, and make a profound difference.
