REACH was established in 2008 by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO) to assists governments of countries with a high burden of child and maternal undernutrition to accelerate the scale-up of food and nutrition actions. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) joined REACH later on with an advisory role. REACH operates at country level as a facilitating mechanism in the coordination of UN and other partners support to national nutrition scale-up plans. REACH was originally meant to strengthen UN efforts towards ending poverty and hunger by 2015, the first of the eight UN Millennium Development Goals. Yet, its action spans beyond 2015 as hunger remains a problem, and nutrition issues will be given an even stronger emphasis after 2015. Offices and staffCurrently, REACH operates in 12 countries (Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda) through country offices, with support by the Secretariat. The REACH Secretariat is based at the World Food Programme in Rome, Italy. Ms. Nancy Walters is the Global Coordinator of REACH. REACH country offices host the country facilitators, technical and administrative staff. | ||
Nancy Walters has been working in the field of international development and humanitarian action for over 25 years. Her experience covers a wide range of operations, with a special interest in food security, nutrition and nutrition-sensitive programmes, strategic planning and results-based management. Over her career, she has worked in Mali, Egypt, Lesotho and Ghana, and at WFP's Headquarters in Rome with the Africa and Middle East, Central Asia and Eastern Europe Bureaux and the Office of the Executive Director. She has been Senior Regional Programme Adviser for Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Iran and focused on results-based management. In 2008-2011, she was Chief of the School Feeding Service in the Policy, Planning and Strategy Division, where she moved forward WFP’s flagship programme through global partnerships with a view to reaching hungry schoolchildren through nationally owned and sourced school-feeding programmes. Ms. Walters was also the Chair of the UN Standing Committe on Nutrition School Age Children Working Group. Since 2011 Ms Walters has been WFP Representative and Country Director in Mali.