The acceleration of undernutrition reduction requires a transformation in the ways we think about undernutrition and the actions we take. This 5 day course, designed for both for policy makers and practitioners, will take participants through new ways of thinking about undernutrition and what to do about it.

"This course provides an excellent overview of global public health nutrition and of key policy developments. For me, it was a great opportunity to update my knowledge on the latest evidence of what works and to meet others working on similar issues. It was also a great opportunity to discuss challenges on the ground and exchange views of how best we can address these. I thoroughly enjoyed the week, including the social events organised by IDS, and felt re-energised by the end of it."

Silke Seco-Grutz, Human Development Adviser, DFID Participant 2012

The Programme will be co-led by Lawrence Haddad (IDS) and Purnima Menon (IFPRI).

Course structure and outcomes

In its second year this professional short course has been developed further in response to the positive feedback from last years participants. We will examine key findings from the Lancet nutrition series, which is scheduled for release later this year, and which four of the course’s convenors were involved in. Participants will be given a unique opportunity to build on materials prepared by IDS and its partners for the major nutrition events scheduled for 2013.

The five day course will be divided into three modules which will take participants through understanding the nature, causes and consequences of undernutrition and exploring ways of addressing undernutrition. The final module with examine nutrition’s changing place within the development agenda.

View the full timetable of the course

By the end of the programme the participants will be better able to contribute to accelerating undernutrition in their sphere of influence by a greater appreciation of:

• The differences between undernutrition, malnutrition, food insecurity, hunger and hidden hunger
• The distribution of undernutrition
• The causes and consequences of undernutrition
• What works in addressing undernutrition at the intermediate, underlying and basic levels and why
• How to assess what works and why
• How to contribute to creating an enabling environment for undernutrition reduction 

Who is the Programme relevant for?

Participants are expected to be a highly diverse group of policy makers, influencers and practitioners from across the world, coming from Governments, Bilateral and Multilateral agencies, NGOs, media organisations and think tanks. This course is designed for those who want to accelerate and intensify their own efforts to reduce undernutrition and influence others in this area.

Course fee

The cost of this 5 day course is £2950 including accommodation and meals.

The Programme Leaders

Lawrence Haddad is the Director of the Institute of Development Studies and for ten years was the Director of the Food Consumption and Nutrition Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute. He is the UK's representative on the High Level Panel of Experts who support the Committee on World Food Security and was a member of the Advisory Group to the UN’s Standing Committee on Nutrition, a member of the Irish Government's Hunger Task Force and a Lead Expert to the UK’s Foresight Commission on the Global Future of Farming and Food. He has field experience in India, South Africa and the Philippines.

Purnima Menon is Research Fellow in IFPRI’s Poverty, Health and Nutrition Division, and is based at IFPRI’s Asia office in New Delhi, India. She conducts applied nutrition research in the South Asia region, with a focus on programs and policies to improve maternal and child nutrition. Currently, she leads a team that is conducting impact and process evaluations of Alive and Thrive, a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-supported initiative to improve infant and young child feeding and child nutrition in Bangladesh, Viet Nam and Ethiopia. She also co-directs POSHAN (Partnerships and Opportunities to Strengthen and Harmonize Actions for Nutrition in India), a new 4-year initiative to build evidence, partnerships and communications to improve nutrition policy and program actions for nutrition in India and to document the impact of this initiative.

Both Haddad and Menon have published extensively on the topics covered in the course.

Other programme convenors will include leaders in policy and practice from Brazil, Ghana, the UN, DFID, IFPRI and IDS.

Apply for this course

Before using the online application form below please read the Terms & Conditions document (pdf) first.