6 Oct 2025
After years of collaboration, advocacy, and community engagement, South Sudan has officially launched its first National Nutrition Policy — a landmark step in tackling widespread malnutrition and food insecurity. For the Right2Grow coalition, this moment marks a major achievement in our shared commitment to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow up well-nourished, healthy, and able to reach their full potential.
The launch of the policy comes after decades of challenges, with undernutrition remaining one of the most pressing public health concerns in South Sudan. For years, the absence of a formal nutrition policy made it difficult to coordinate efforts, secure funding, or implement systemic change. The newly adopted policy — which will run through 2033 — now provides a clear framework for addressing all forms of malnutrition in the country. It includes six key priorities and eleven guiding policy statements that will shape programming, budgeting, and service delivery in the years to come.
“This National Nutrition Policy lays a strong foundation for addressing the multifaceted challenges of malnutrition in South Sudan,” said Dr. Annin Ngot Ngot, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Health. “I am confident it will pave the way for improved nutrition outcomes and the overall well-being of our nation.”
Right2Grow's Role in Shaping the Policy
The launch is the result of tireless advocacy by a wide range of actors — with Right2Grow playing a central role throughout the process. Through close collaboration with national and international stakeholders, the Right2Grow consortium brought together partners from across sectors to align around a common goal: creating a multisectoral policy that reflects the realities and needs of communities across South Sudan.
In 2024, Right2Grow — together with support from the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) — convened a National Nutrition Policy Workshop, a critical moment that brought momentum and focus to the policy process. Throughout the year, consortium members led community dialogues, engaged civil society, and provided technical and strategic support to ensure the policy would be inclusive, feasible, and aligned with international standards.
A key outcome of this process was the formation of the South Sudan Parliamentary Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, an important advocacy platform that helped push the policy forward within government.
“The journey to this launch was one of resilience,” said Denish Ogen, Advocacy Manager at Action Against Hunger South Sudan. “Working collaboratively with development partners under the Right2Grow consortium, we were able to keep the importance of this policy high on the agenda of decision-makers.”
Integrated, Community-Led Approaches
In South Sudan, Right2Grow applies a multisectoral and inclusive approach to reducing undernutrition, especially among children under five. By integrating WASH and nutrition, and focusing on community-led data collection, advocacy, and service monitoring, the programme works to address both the symptoms and root causes of malnutrition.
Right2Grow also supports local civil society organisations to engage with government at all levels — helping to ensure that community voices and evidence directly inform national policies and budgets. With the launch of the National Nutrition Policy, the government is now formally obligated to allocate resources to support its implementation — a major step forward for accountability and sustainable impact.
“This policy unlocks resources for the fight against malnutrition,” said Samuel Chor Alier of Child Rights Coalition, a Right2Grow partner. “It’s a tool communities and civil society can now use to advocate for improved services and funding.”
Looking Ahead
The adoption of the National Nutrition Policy is a major milestone — but the work doesn’t stop here. Implementation, funding, and sustained political will are essential to transforming this policy into lasting change on the ground. The Right2Grow coalition will continue to support government, civil society, and communities to turn policy commitments into real progress for the people of South Sudan.
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