To develop Ethiopia's long-term capacity to manage and maintain a NIPN, it is important to identify existing capacities as well as any additional capacities needed to sustain the NIPN approach in the country.

Ethiopia is implementing the second phase of its National Nutrition Programme Phase II (NNP-II) 2016- 2020. NNP-II is co-signed by 13 Ministries. It is governed by a multisectoral national coordination structure, consisting of the National Coordination Body at high political and decision-making level, and of the National Nutrition Technical Committee at technical and planning level.

At country level, NIPN is rooted within existing institutions and national multisectoral coordination systems for nutrition. From the analysis of available and shared data, it generates evidence that is used by (sub-)national stakeholders for developing policy, designing programmes and allocating investments, through the NIPN operational cycle consisting of three elements that constantly revolve and feed into each other:

 NIPN approach is usually positioned to support a specific multisectoral nutrition policy or plan of action (MPPA). This focus is key to ensuring that the identified questions and subsequent analyses will respond to a specific need, that the

The first guidance note of this section, Setting up National Information Platform for Nutrition in a Country, describes a number of important steps and criteria to take into account during the preparation phase of a NIPN platform at country levelThe second note provides guidance and country experiences in Setting up a Multisectoral Advisory Committee (MAC).

National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN) is an initiative of the European Commission supported by the United Kingdom Department for International Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

An important part of the work of National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN) is to produce evidence-based analysis to inform national policy makers and programme planners and to support their decisions. For the flow of information to be effective and efficient, there is a need (1) to develop and apply a communication plan for the NIPN and (2) adopt good practices for communicating with decision makers.

In 2018, the Government of Ethiopia endorsed its first National Food and Nutrition Policy (NFNP) and launched the National Information Platform for Nutrition (NIPN) to promote evidence-based decision making under the new policy.

Ethiopia has undertaken a far reaching program of economic reforms over the last decades and the economy has registered rapid growth rates averaging 11 percent annum over the past seven years placing Ethiopia among the top performing economics in sub Saharan Africa and the government has made poverty and hunger reduction its top priorities

This rapid growth performance and its sustainability are primarily the result of the development policies and strategies the Government has been pursuing during the last two decades, as well as 6 the active participation of the public in the execution of these strategies. In 2013/2014, for the first time in the history of the country, its sovereign rating was assessed by three international credit rating agencies.