Nutrition Responses in Severe and Resource-Limited Settings
About
Interim Programmatic Adaptations for Wasting Programming in Resource-constrained Settings
This interim guidance (version as of May 2025) was commissioned by the GNC), and its development was led by Action Against Hunger, Save the Children, and Concern Worldwide, with contributions and technical review from the Wasting Thematic Working Group (GTWG). Regional offices were also consulted during its development to ensure contextual relevance and operational feasibility.
The guidance may be updated as new evidence emerges, operational lessons are learned, or programmatic contexts evolve. It is intended to support short-term decision-making in resource-constrained settings. While it does not replace national protocols for the treatment and prevention of wasting, it aims to complement and inform country-led processes by offering practical options to address pressing challenges.
Background and purpose of the document
This guidance was developed in response to the significant funding cuts currently affecting nutrition programmes globally. Across many countries, partners are navigating a complex situation in which critical, lifesaving services must be sustained, re-organized, or transferred to ministries of health (MoH) or local and national actors, often without sufficient time or resources for adequate preparation.
Its primary purpose is to support country-level decision-makers and implementers in identifying ethical, context-appropriate, and operationally feasible adaptations when facing service disruptions or stock-outs of essential nutrition commodities. In doing so, it provides not only a set of practical options but also a structured process to guide prioritization, coordination and temporary adjustments, while upholding humanitarian principles.
Nutrition Interventions to Prevent Malnutrition in Intersectoral Severity Areas 4/5
Due to the significant reductions in humanitarian and development funding in the first half of 2025, at the request of the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), interagency humanitarian response plans are being reprioritized. This exercise is led by the Humanitarian Coordinators (HCs) in close coordination with the Humanitarian Coordination Teams (HCTs) and builds on the boundary setting exercise for the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plans (HRPs).
Interagency re-prioritization at country level will focus on:
- Geographic areas with Intersectoral Severity 4 and 5
- Activity types that are lifesaving, plus protection
As nutrition programming is generally accepted as meeting lifesaving criteria, there is no debate that activities pertaining to the early detection and treatment of wasting are within the re-prioritization boundaries. However, there is a question about which prevention activities we should be advocating for in 4-5 severity contexts.
