Consider sustainability from the start

It encompasses building resilience and fostering systems that ensure ongoing support and recovery. Sustainable humanitarian interventions focus on enhancing local capacities, promoting self–reliance and integrating long–term development goals with immediate relief efforts^{60, 61} 

Why is sustainability important for the prevention of undernutrition in humanitarian contexts?

It is vital to ensure that the benefits of multisectoral interventions aimed at preventing undernutrition continue long after the initial humanitarian response has ended. This can be supported by aligning with the principles outlined above – convergence, localisation – alongside:

Ensuring resource efficiency and cost–effectiveness: By identifying local funding sources and developing partnerships early on, programmes can reduce dependency on external aid and ensure ongoing support.

Ensuring continued policy support: Planning and aligning interventions with existing national policies, strategies and priorities. This alignment can help secure continued government support and integration of programmes into local systems and services.

Monitoring and evaluation and adaptive management: By establishing metrics for success and including robust monitoring, evaluation and learning systems from the start, programmes can adapt to changing conditions and ensure that interventions remain effective and relevant.

• From the very start of interventions, consider:

1. Sustained source of resources: funding, equipment, supplies and human capital.
2. Sustained technical and management capacities: the skills, knowledge, agency and organisational structures.
3. Sustained linkages to other organisations, government or entities that can support sustainability.
4. How to sustain motivation and incentives that do not rely on programme input: refers to the continuous drive of individuals, communities and organisations to engage in, demand for and support initiatives that contribute to long– term goals.

• Include sustainability thinking when developing project theory of change with clear understanding of the underlying assumptions and how these will be monitored and adjusted during the implementation period.
• Develop evidence–based sustainability strategies and plans that are reflective of contexts (linkages, resources, capacities).
• Assess progress toward sustainability as part of routine monitoring, including clear benchmarks for gradual transition to local responsibility for services and behaviours to allow for identification of what works, gaps and necessary adjustments.
• Encourage sharing of best practices with different stakeholders and sectors to allow cross learning and real time adaptations as necessary.

⁶⁰ Sphere. (2018). Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response. 

⁶¹ Inter-Agency Standing Committee IASC. (2010). IASC Guidelines on Humanitarian Response in Natural Disasters.