The SUN Business Network (SBN) aims to increase the availability and affordability of safe, nutritious foods to consumers, especially low-income consumers through activities at global and national levels. At a national level, the SBN convenes businesses, assesses technical, financial and other business support service needs for members, and advocates the role of business in addressing nutrition at country level. Read More
The SUN Business Network (SBN) aims to increase the availability and affordability of safe, nutritious foods to consumers, especially low-income consumers through activities at global and national levels. At a national level, the SBN convenes businesses, assesses technical, financial and other business support service needs for members, and advocates the role of business in addressing nutrition at country level. At a global level, the SBN acts as a focal point for engaging multinational businesses in nutrition activities such as making workplace nutrition commitments.Read More
The SUN Business Network (SBN) aims to increase the availability and affordability of safe, nutritious foods to consumers, especially low-income consumers through activities at global and national levels. At a national level, the SBN convenes businesses, assesses technical, financial and other business support service needs for members, and advocates the role of business in addressing nutrition at country level.Read More
Emerging networks are in SUN Countries where the government has made a commitment to ending malnutrition through a multi-stakeholder approach and private sector companies have begun to mobilise their support for a multistakeholder, multisectoral approach to improving nutrition. Read More
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Following a letter of commitment from Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the President, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka joined the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement in October 2012. The country’s SUN Business Network (SBN) was launched in March 2019 with the support of WFP Sri Lanka, and currently has 36 Private Sector Members.
According to the Global Nutrition Report, Sri Lanka is on-course to achieve two of its nutrition targets for maternal, infant and young child nutrition (MIYCN) and the exclusive breastfeeding target, with 82.0% of infants aged 0 to 5 months exclusively breastfed. Further, the country has also made some progress in few other areas: infants having a low weight at birth with 15.9%, the target for stunting with having 17.3% of children under 5 years of age are still affected. Meanwhile Sri Lanka indicates little-to-no progress in achieving the target for wasting, with 15.1% of children under 5 years of age affected and the target for obesity. Moreover, micro-nutrient deficiencies, overweight, obesity remain significant nutrition problems in the country.
In Sri Lanka, SUN Business Network is currently facilitated by the United Nations World Food Programme. Since the time of the launch, 44 businesses and 200+ SMEs have signed up as SUN Business Network Sri Lanka members, with all members encouraged to participate in one or more of four SBN SL working groups that drive the agenda of the network: Promoting Nutritious Foods, Producing Nutritious Foods, Workplace Nutrition and Wellbeing and SMEs development.
Dr. Sulakshana Jayawardena – Additional Secretary to the president and the Director General of Partnership Secretariat for WFP cooperation at the Presidential Secretariat was recently appointed as the SUN Government Focal Point, Sri Lanka.
In Sri Lanka, the SBN’s overarching aim is to bring together, assess and advocate the private sector with regards to nutrition and nutrition-led initiatives – with a goal of reaching 60 members, comprising actors at both national and sub-national levels, in the coming years.
In light of this expansion, SBN Sri Lanka has four focal points of activity:
This year, under the theme ‘Accelerating Progress at SDG Halftime’, the United Nations Day was celebrated in Sri Lanka by providing a platform to showcase the progress made towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Sri Lanka. This year, the celebration featured a variety of exhibition stalls, providing a platform for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and projects supported by the UN System in Sri Lanka to showcase their impactful work.
World Food Programme’s stall spotlighted the SUN Business Network and we had 4 SMEs onboard with us on this day. DNS Food Products – brings you organic herbal porridge, YANC Natural Blend – brings you Sri Lankan Spices and Cargills Ceylon’s ‘Lak Bojun’ – a SBN partnership with Cargills Ceylon which promotes healthy meal options to consumers at an affordable rate, were the SMEs spotlighted.
SBN has provided support these SMEs in repositioning their business models through Business Coaching Programmes, Products Branding & Designing, Certification Assistance etc
Celebrating 2023 United Nations Day in Sri Lanka
SUN Business Network Bi-Annual Gathering was successfully held on Friday, March 24, 2023. The participants who have joined us were the SUN Business Network Private Sector Members, SUN Business Network SME Members, Development Partners, Representatives from the Government, Diplomatic Missions, and other UN Agencies in Sri Lanka. Special Invitees of the event were Dr.Sulakshana Jayawardena – Additional Secretary to the President/ Director General – Partnership Secretariat for WFP Cooperation at the Presidential Secretariat & Dr. Susie Perera – Deputy Director General Public Health Services II at the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka. Mr. Abdur Rahim Siddiqui, Country Director / Representative of the UN World Food Programme in Sri Lanka started the event with opening remarks and highlighted the importance of SBN and WFP’s support to SBN as its current convener.
Dr. Susie Perera, Deputy Director General – Public Health Services II at the Ministry of Health delivered a special address on “Emergency Nutrition Action Plan and the progress of Implementation” as few SBN Private Sector members contributed & made commitments to the Emergency Nutrition Action Plan. Dr Sulakshana Jayawardena, Additional Secretary to the President /Director General – Partnership Secretariat for WFP Cooperation at the Presidential Secretariat then delivered a special address on “Country Food Security Situation and the Government’s Response”.
Dialog Axiata PLC, one of the SBN Members in Sri Lanka delivered a presentation on “Digital Interventions for Securing Nutrition” and highlighted member commitments as a SBN SL member who was active since the launch of the network in 2019. Event was followed by another special address by Mr. Ajith D Perera from FCCISL as he highlighted the importance of SBN and the successful partnership FCCISL had with SBN during its first pilot project “Implementation of Soft Skills Development in the SMEs Sector”. The event also highlighted WFP’s continuous operations in fighting hunger worldwide as it celebrated its anniversary – WFP AT 60.
SUN Business Network together with Family Health Bureau of the Ministry of Health organized an advocacy workshop themed ‘Breastfeeding at work’ for SBN Members (Private Sector) on 29th August 2023 at the FHB auditorium premises. This advocacy workshop was organized to commemorate World Breastfeeding Week 2023 as this year’s World Breastfeeding Week was celebrated with the theme “Let’s make breastfeeding and work, work!” providing a strategic opportunity to advocate for essential maternity rights that support breastfeeding at work. Breastfeeding at workplace falls under promotion of ‘Workplace Nutrition and Well-being’, one of the three main areas of SBN’s work in Sri Lanka.
