[{"bbox": [97, 153, 1134, 206], "category": "Text", "text": "Development Goals, as well as the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, the Gender Action Plan III and the Communication on the roots of Democracy."}, {"bbox": [97, 219, 1134, 644], "category": "Text", "text": "The EU remains a solid partner for Nepal for Human Capital Development, which is led with like-minded Development Partners. EU-Nepal cooperation and dialogue has been constructive, and the EU is the largest provider of grant support to the country. In the field of nutrition, the EU has a long history of collaboration with national authorities and has supported the implementation of the MSNP I and II through project-based and budget support approaches which contributed to improve human capital development as indicated by the SDG and Human Development Index (HDI) progress. The EU intends to remain a key actor and partner in this field. The EU-Nepal engagement on nutrition contributes to the MIP priority area 2 (Human Capital Development). It will support the delivery of nutrition services and will contribute to achieving the expected results of the MIP of increased access to inclusive and equitable nutrition services. The plan contributes to guiding Nepal towards the achievement of the SDGs (in particular SDG 2 – Zero Hunger, SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being, SDG 5 – Gender Equality, SDG 6 – Clean water and sanitation, SDG 10 – Reduced Inequality and SDG 16 – strong institutions. Besides contributing to both World Health Assembly and SDG nutrition related targets as well as HDI progress, the support measure will facilitate the federalism reform with strengthening local services provision. Improving the nutritional status of the population will require to tackle the entrenched political, economic and social inequalities that underpin malnutrition, including those relating to income, wealth, gender, caste, ethnicity, age and geographic location. It is seen as a prerequisite to promote sustainable and inclusive growth in Nepal."}, {"bbox": [97, 655, 1134, 815], "category": "Text", "text": "The government, with support from the EU (and other partners), has designed and implemented a series of national plans - Multi-Sector Nutrition Plan MSNP-1 (2013-2017) and MSNP-II (2018-2022) - which aimed at addressing malnutrition and which contributed to reducing undernutrition, inequalities, improving governance, and effective/efficient financing mechanisms for nutrition interventions. However, challenges remain in terms of nutrition outcomes and equity, especially for women and marginalised groups. MSNP-III (July 2023 to Jul 2030) has been designed by the government to address these challenges."}, {"bbox": [97, 826, 1134, 1014], "category": "Text", "text": "The reduced enabling environment for civil society remains a concern, and is being partly addressed with actions from the Civil Society Organisations thematic budget line. The use of support measures is necessary because the government is reluctant to sign a financing agreement with implementation by NGOs. It will complement the main implementing modality of the EU to support MSNP-III, which will be budget support (Sector Reform Performance Contract) to support the sector policy dialogue. Complementary measures comprise technical assistance at federal, provincial and local levels, supporting amongst others, data management, knowledge generation and need based planning capacity."}, {"bbox": [97, 1025, 1134, 1106], "category": "Text", "text": "With this support measure, grant(s) will be awarded to CSO to support advocacy and accountability on equity and inclusion. The complementarity of the different implementing modalities will reinforce the EU policy dialogue at federal, provincial and local level with the support of the technical assistance and in partnership with the CSO."}, {"bbox": [85, 1132, 340, 1162], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.2 Problem Analysis"}, {"bbox": [97, 1179, 317, 1206], "category": "Text", "text": "Short problem analysis:"}, {"bbox": [97, 1217, 1134, 1377], "category": "Text", "text": "Nepal has demonstrated considerable advancement in the continued reduction of child stunting and is one of the few least developed countries in the world broadly on track to meet the WHA 2025 stunting target. Nepal Ranks 116th out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index 2023 and 113th out of 191 countries in the Gender Inequality Index 2021. However, important nutrition inequalities as well as the complex interaction of different forms of malnutrition persist. Women's nutritional status in the country remains poor, being associated with both the order of household eating and dietary diversity³."}, {"bbox": [97, 1388, 1134, 1522], "category": "Text", "text": "Wide geographic disparities still exist: in rural areas of Karnali Province almost one in two children under five are stunted, while in Lumbini Province wasting prevalence (16%) routinely exceeds that is typically considered to be the international threshold for emergency intervention⁴. At the same time, there is the steadily growing consumption of relatively low price and convenient but highly processed and unhealthy packaged snack food, resulting in an increase in prevalence of overweight and obesity."}, {"bbox": [85, 1572, 973, 1598], "category": "Footnote", "text": "³ Article “Do changes in women's household status in Nepal improve access to food and nutrition?” (2021)"}, {"bbox": [85, 1598, 1142, 1646], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁴ NDHS 2022. At the same time, it should be emphasised that the majority of stunted children (both moderately and severely stunted) live in other provinces."}, {"bbox": [1038, 1682, 1143, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 5 of 13"}]