Dissemination of the ECSA-HC Adolescent Nutrition Advocacy Strategy in Zambia.

Recalling from the previous resolutions and directives through the 69th ECSA-HC HMC of 2020 (ECSA/HMC69/R3): Efforts to Improve Adolescent and Young People’s Health which directed her member states to strengthen the implementation of appropriate and comprehensive adolescent health and nutrition programmes, cognizant of meaningful engagement by young people and build capacity of health care professionals to provide such services in an amicable manner, without petrifying the youth.

ECSA-HC Secretariat was directed to support Member States in the implementation of the recommendations. With this background, ECSA-HC Secretariat with support from Nutrition International, undertook the task to develop a Regional Advocacy Strategy for Adolescent Nutrition 2023-2028, which was launched in February 2023 by the Conference of Health Ministers in Maseru, Lesotho.

Therefore, the first dissemination meeting for the member states was held on 19^th October 2023, in Zambia and was officially opened by Mr. Fortune Chibamba, Director of Programmes at National Aids Council who represented the Minister for Health. In his remarks he said that the Zambian government through the Ministry of Health had been prioritizing adolescent health programs in all its reproductive health programming. Through the national health strategic plan and the 8^th national development plan, Zambia had come up with the adolescent health strategy which articulates specific strategies for addressing adolescent health.

He commended ECSA-HC and its collaborating partner, Nutrition International for bringing the regional framework timely to provide guidance and motivation to drive greater political, economic and social commitment and accountability for adolescent nutrition in the region.

The meeting was attended by over 25 key representatives and stakeholders from the Ministry of Health, Office of the Prime Minister (Multisectoral coordination), Partners and Donors supporting Nutrition in Zambia, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Local Government, Zambia Food and Nutrition Commission, District Nutrition officers and ECSA-HC facilitators.