Reduce chronic malnutrition for children aged 0-5 years, from 38% in 2020 to 30% in 2030

The goal of reducing the prevalence of stunting is central to the objectives and targets outlined by Mozambique’s National Strategy for Food Security and Nutrition 2020-2030 (ESAN III), which is directly aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – in particular SDG 2 – and the Global Nutrition Targets, to which Mozambique is committed. For this reason, the first action will be to ensure an effective operationalisation of the strategy through the rollout of its implementation plan and development of a Resource Mobilisation Strategy to secure the necessary funds. In line with the multisectoral nature of ESAN III, the implementation plan developed by the government of Mozambique is both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive and involves all relevant sectors, including agriculture, health, industry and commerce, land and environment, education, gender, fisheries, social protection and public works.

The implementation plan is expected to be approved by the prime minister, in his role as chief of the National Council of Food Security and Nutrition, in Q1 of 2022, following which it will be discussed and approved in the Council of Ministers of Mozambique. After this approval, the Food Security and Nutrition Technical Secretariat will coordinate a planning process across all the relevant sectors on a yearly basis to ensure harmonisation and complementarity. The sectoral action plans and their relevant budgets are then submitted to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, who will allocate the available budget.

In operational terms, it is expected that the strategic vision defined in ESAN III will be implemented through not only the government's own interventions at central, provincial and district levels but also the interventions of other actors (ie, civil society, the private sector). ESAN III includes the following operationalisation streams:

1. Operationalisation through district and provincial strategic planning instruments: This will be the privileged mechanism for the operationalisation of ESAN III. The integration of food security and nutrition actions in the plans and budgets of the provinces and districts will be a fundamental step toward strengthening the decentralisation process, guaranteeing the implementation of ESAN III at the local level.

2. Operationalisation through ministries' sectorial instruments: The different ministries involved have responsibilities in the implementation of ESAN III according to their areas of competence and specific mandates.

3. Operationalisation through civic society projects and actions: Civic society has a strong capacity for territorial intervention, playing a fundamental role in direct support to communities.

4. Operationalisation through UN and development partner programmes.

5. Operationalisation through synergies and partnerships with the private sector.