Human resource building for the promotion of nutrition rights A cross-disciplinary challenge

Abstract

The current focus on human development in general global development efforts carries with it a need for building human resources with appropriate intellectual, communicative and operational skills for use in analyses, decision-making and action at all levels. Human resource building extends beyond conventional disciplinary training and fosters the capability to work together to solve often complex problems for which each discipline does not alone have the answers. Human resources are needed to bridge the thinking and action between human rights and economic, social and cultural development, including food and nutrition improvements as human and social development goals and as human rights. This paper discusses the opportunities and prospects for human resource building for the promotion of nutrition rights as a mutual challenge for human rights lawyers and institutions and nutrition training institutions. The view is put forward that, while human resource building for nutrition rights is critical at the community and grass-roots levels, a commitment to appropriate programmes at academic institutions is needed to ensure the preparation of expertise as well as cadres, who can stimulate and backstop activities at these levels and within the civil society as a whole and ensure credibility and sustainability. The paper gives some examples of emerging and planned efforts to establish focused nutrition rights training and calls for a networking of like-minded institutions within the human rights and nutrition communities, for a strengthened performance and impact in training for further nutrition rights theory-building, standard-setting, assessment and promotion.