Key findings HANCI-Global 2019

The HANCI-Global 2019 compares rankings and results with the previous issue of the HANCI-Global index for 2017. Key findings concern:

South Africa is the new top ranking in HANCI-Global 2019. It takes the lead knocking Guatemala of the top spot. Guatemala dropped to 4^th, as Brazil and Peru share the second spot.
South Africa incrementally improved its scores on seven out of 22 indicators: access to water and sanitation, women’s access to land, birth registration and Vitamin A supplementation rates, as well as policy coordination for nutrition strengthened. Its health spending however declined somewhat.
Brazil too enhanced its scores on seven indicators. It saw increased health spending, better tenure security and agricultural extension services, access to water and sanitation; but women’s access to land and to ante natal care, as well as agricultural spending deteriorated.
Peru improved on ten out of 22 indicators, with higher spending on health and agriculture, improved security of tenure and agricultural extension services, and social protection systems, and women’s economic rights and access to land.

Fastest ‘risers and tumblers’:

Benin was the fastest riser in the set, improving by 13 ranks. It strengthened health and agricultural spending and worked towards a nutrition budget line. Security of tenure improved, as did access to water and sanitation. While women’s access to land improved, their general economic rights declined, and significantly fewer children received Vitamin A supplementation.
Sierra Leone, and Viet Nam also did relatively well, forging ahead respectively by 11 and 8 ranks.
Senegal tumbled by 12 spots, while India and Pakistan both dropped 9 ranks.
Senegal saw reductions in health and agriculture spending, reduced security of tenure and weaker agricultural extension services. However, it improved social protection systems, water and sanitation, and outcomes on Vitamin A supplementation and birth registration rates, yet the extent to which the International Code for Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes is enshrined in law weakened.