Country-level action to improve nutrition and health: a view from the field

Preference for mother and child social protection is a constant in public policies all around the world. Most of the basic strategies are known and have been described, proven on its efficacy and cost-effectiveness several times in different settings in the last 100 years. But from knowledge to action and from action to impact, there has been a variable and dramatic gap which can be mended with other policy tools. Beyond technical considerations, conviction, commitment and mystique are in my view and experience those critical factors. The other issue is close relation between academia, policy making, regular politics and public opinion.