…Call for Increased Government, Donor Support Amidst Mounting Crises
Civil society organizations from 22 countries across West and Central Africa, as well as the island nations of Comoros and Madagascar, have reaffirmed their commitment to ending malnutrition in all its forms, following the conclusion of the 2025 annual regional meeting of the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Alliances (SUN CSAs) held in Lagos, Nigeria.
By Chimezie Godfrey
Civil society organizations from 22 countries across West and Central Africa, as well as the island nations of Comoros and Madagascar, have reaffirmed their commitment to ending malnutrition in all its forms, following the conclusion of the 2025 annual regional meeting of the Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Alliances (SUN CSAs) held in Lagos, Nigeria.
The week-long summit, themed “A Stronger Civil Society to Accelerate Progress on Nutrition,” brought together delegates from across the region who voiced grave concern over the persistent burden of malnutrition and the worsening effects of conflict, climate change, and underfunded health systems.
In a strongly worded joint statement signed by Sunday Okoronkwo, Executive Secretary of CS-SUNN Nigeria, the coalition emphasized that the region continues to face “multiple, interlocking crises” that have stalled progress towards the 2030 nutrition goals.
“Malnutrition still affects millions of women and children, particularly in vulnerable communities,” the statement read. “This has profound consequences on the economic and social development of our countries.”
While recognizing past achievements, the coalition expressed alarm over slow and uneven progress, citing unsustainable financing, weak coordination, and exclusion of communities from nutrition programming as major impediments.
The participating civil society alliances reaffirmed their solidarity and commitment to acting alongside governments, the United Nations, donors, and the private sector to end malnutrition.
“We are committed to strengthening collaboration, sharing good practices, and relaying the voices of women, youth, indigenous peoples and marginalized groups,” the statement emphasized.
As part of their action plan, the SUN CSAs pledged to:
”Amplify accountability in achieving nutrition goals,
”Hold stakeholders responsible for unmet commitments,
”Advocate for inclusive and multisectoral nutrition approaches integrated into agriculture, education, health, and climate policies,
”Deepen community-level engagement through stronger local roots and feedback channels.
”Urging Governments and Donors to Do More”.