Development of an equity-focused investment case for the multi-sectoral Nutrition Action Plan (2012 – 2016) in Mauritania

• Partnership Summary
• Results

REACH is a global partnership committed to meeting the nutrition needs of the world's most vulnerable children and women, through evidence-based analysis and innovative programming that builds government institutional capacity, strengthens policy planning skills and prioritizes scarce resources. REACH was jointly established by FAO, WHO, UNICEF and WFP. REACH proposed to test an equity-focused investment case approach in Mauritania, where it had already supported the government in developing its multi-sectoral Nutrition Action Plan (PAIN). The ultimate goal was to operationalize the PAIN; to further that aim, this project reviewed the PAIN to make it more equity-focused with new targets and delivery mechanisms; costed the revised PAIN; quantified the expected impacts of implementing the PAIN; and identified the current funding gap. 

Research and knowledge generation

• The investment case was completed in December 2012, including the equity analysis of programmes in nutrition, the monitoring and evaluation framework, the cost-effectiveness of cash transfers analysis, and the funding needs and perspectives for PAIN, as well as the synthesis report.
• Since Mauritania’s adhesion to the nutrition coordination model proposed by the REACH approach in 2008, the country has seen encouraging progress on nutritional and food insecurity indicators. The main contributions of the REACH approach in Mauritania was improved situation analyses and monitoring, action planning and implementation of synergies, and increased collaboration and information sharing and greater involvement across sectors and organizations.
• Building on this progress, the investment case brought a unique equity focus and provided a relevant M&E framework along with the funding needs to implement such an approach. It was the first developed by REACH, which hoped to replicate it in other countries, such as Bangladesh.

The following reports were produced:

• Cas d’investissement sur la nutrition en Mauritanie: Analyse de l’équité dans les programmes de nutrition en Mauritanie, Oxford Policy Management, Saboya, M. & LemineSelmane, M., 2012.
• Cas d’investissement sur la nutrition en Mauritanie: Propositions pour l’amélioration du cadre de suivi et évaluation du PAIN, Oxford Policy Management, Saboya, M. & LemineSelmane, M., 2012.
• Cas d’investissement sur la nutrition en Mauritanie: Le coût et l’impact potentiel de transferts en espèces dans le cadre du PAIN, Oxford Policy Management, Hodges. A., 2012.