A well-developed Common Results Framework (CRF) for nutrition actions is an important step in the planning and cost estimation process for national nutrition efforts. In order to develop a CRF, all government sectors contributing to nutrition outcomes should be involved in the discussions and in the planning and implementation of the CRF. At a minimum, the initial discussions in developing a CRF should include the identification of:
• National goals for reducing malnutrition demonstrated by evidence and agreed upon by all sectoral partners;
• All stakeholders involved in the discussion and planning around national nutrition efforts (including each government sector and potentially other contributing stakeholders); and
• A set of priority actions that contribute to the national goals, with responsibilities aligned to each contributing sectoral partner.
This initial agreement of the CRF forms a basis for the development of operational plans, monitoring and evaluation plans, and cost estimation of achieving the common national goals. This involves clear and coordinated discussion and engagement with all participating sectoral partners throughout the process of agreement on the common results, planning for action, implementation, and tracking results.

La planification et l'établissement des coûts des programmes nationaux de nutrition devraient être un effort multisectoriel. Les partenaires multisectoriels doivent être conscientisés sur la gravité du problème de la nutrition dans leur pays. En plus, il faut les aider à comprendre les problèmes sous-jacents et les preuves soutenant ce qui fonctionne pour lutter contre la malnutrition. Avec une vision et des objectifs communs, un plan stratégique multisectoriel, un plan opérationnel ainsi qu’un plan de suivi et évaluation devraient être développés.

Si le processus d'élaboration de ces plans est bien coordonné, cela facilitera l’estimation de coûts y relatifs. Le point à noter ici est que l'alignement de tous les différents plans dans le but d'atteindre les objectifs de résultats communs donne une base solide pour la mise en œuvre multisectorielle pour améliorer l'état nutritionnel.

Planning and estimation of costs for national nutrition programmes should be a multi-sectoral effort. The multi-sectoral partners must be made aware of the severity of the nutrition problem in their country. Moreover, there is a need to help them understand the underlying issues and the evidence supporting what works in the fight against malnutrition. With a vision and common objectives, a strategic multi-sectoral plan, an operational plan as well as a monitoring and evaluation plan should be developed.

If the process of development of these plans is well coordinated, it facilitates the estimation of related costs. The important point here is that the alignment of all the different plans with the aim of achieving the objectives of the common results, provides a solid base for multisectoral implementation to improve nutritional status.

The Government has to be committed to take all measures on reduction and management of malnutrition amongst his citizen and recognizes the importance of nutrition in achieving national economic and social development goals through access to an age-appropriate balanced diets and living in a favourable healthy environment.

The Government , in partnership with development partners including NGOs and UN agencies has to put together effort to improve the nutrition of its population. In Rwanda, the government initiated an Emergency Plan to Eliminate Malnutrition (EPEM) with cross-sector leadership from the Ministry of Health This demonstrated a new level of unprecedented commitment to national and decentralized action within the National Nutrition Policy framework. The immediate result was a national screening exercise that involved more than 30,000 Community Health Workers (CHWs), all district authorities and health facilities, the Ministry of Defence and many development partners including UN agencies and international NGOs.

Toward the end of the first phase of the EPEM, the First National Nutrition Summit was organized (in November 2009). It was attended by senior leaders and technical specialists from key government ministries, UN agencies, NGOs and senior international experts. This summit was a strategic step that provided evidence and lessons learned for the Government of Rwanda to move further forward towards the elimination of malnutrition in Rwanda. The summit also ushered the second phase of the EPEM that aimed at consolidating the work on managing acute malnutrition and moving towards the implementation of preventive strategies at the decentralized level.

In 2010, the government developed a National multisectoral Strategic Plan to Eliminate Malnutrition (NSEM) to guide the implementation of the various interventions. The Ministry of Health was tasked to coordinate, under the auspices of the Prime Minister's Office, implementation of interventions by various sectors including Agriculture, Education, Infrastructure (responsible for WASH), Local Government and Commerce as well as Gender & Family, Finance, Information and others.

During the planning and budgeting, all ministries are requested to think and include nutrition activities.

Innocent MANIRAHO/ Health and Nutrition Field Supervisor/ Concern Worldwide/