Enhancing nutrition specific interventions through public health policies and public-private partnerships in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: a desk review

Abstract

Background: Public private partnerships (PPPs) in public health have been widely promoted as an effective tool for accelerating progress toward achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG2 “to eliminate hunger”. Partnership with the private sector was found to be very instrumental in improving the nutritional status of poor and food-insecure people and promoting healthy lifestyles. In countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), PPPs for nutrition actions have been mainly driven by the United Nations (UN) and international development agencies to support low and middle-income countries in achieving better health outcomes. Despite the increased prominence of engaging the private sector in public health actions in the EMR, evidence on the role of the private sector in the design/implementation of these actions is still not documented. The objective of this study is to assess the role and contribution of the private sector in the design/implementation of nutrition-specific interventions addressing the double burden of malnutrition in countries from the EMR and identify the key factors for successful PPP implementation. Methods: The study design was descriptive using secondary data obtained from digital internet sources, including World Health Organization (WHO) databases, grey literature, and websites of the UN and international development agencies.  Results: The desk review revealed that the private sector has played a sizable role in the implementation of food fortification initiatives and in the implementation of nutritional policies promoting healthy diets. The experience of the EMR shows the significant impact of government commitment, and the availability of national policies and systems for monitoring and enforcement on the sustainability and effectiveness of PPP-specific nutrition interventions. Conclusion: The study emphasizes the key actions recommended for governments to enhance the application of PPPs as a tool to accelerate the EMR’s progress toward achieving nutrition targets under SDG2 by 2030.