WHO ARE  WE?

The Fiscal and Economic Policies for Healthy Food and Nutrition Hub at COLANSA is composed of a group of professional researchers and experts from various disciplines related to public health, economists, and others.   The members of this group have extensive knowledge of the different technical aspects related to sustainable development policies, the economic evaluation of nutrition projects, and the fiscal systems of the countries in the region.   

MISSION  

The Hub’s mission is to unite technical efforts to develop innovative proposals for governments and civil society to implement fiscal and economic policies focused, on the one hand, on increasing the consumption and supply of healthy foods and, on the other hand, on discouraging the consumption of ultra-processed foods in the population’s diet, thereby helping to halt the spread of non-communicable diseases.  

VISION

The vision of this Hub takes into account the complexities of the current food system and, based on the best available evidence, seeks to identify the most cost-effective and impactful fiscal and economic interventions to improve consumption habits and the supply of healthy foods in the region.   

OBJECTIVES

• Create a dedicated research space within COLANSA to address economic issues, conduct analyses, and propose fiscal and economic policies, in line with the context, needs, and possibilities of the countries in the region;  
• Consider the advancements and best practices in fiscal and economic policies at the global and regional levels;  
• Identify key areas to develop additional research with the aim of advancing sustainable and timely policies for healthy food systems;  
• Develop research protocols and concept notes required by funders for conducting studies at the regional or national level;
• Advise policymakers, public officials, and representatives of civil society on the implementation of high-impact fiscal and economic interventions;  
• Participate in various multi- and interdisciplinary spaces and international organizations related to the topic;  
• – Contribute to the development of advocacy strategies with key actors at the regional or national level on fiscal and economic issues;  
• – Develop guidelines and coordinate sub-granting to postgraduate students to support studies conducted within the Hub;   
• – Collaborate and propose materials to continue developing an electronic library on the topic.  

GOVERNANCE  

The governance of the Hub will be managed by the Hub Coordinating Team (HCT), which will consist of two members from the InterAmerican Heart Foundation (IAHF) and at least two other members designated as focal points in the countries participating in the initial work lines.    The Hub will initially move forward with the researchers, and once the main work lines are established, actions will be coordinated with other members of COLANSA.   

The Hub will hold meetings with other groups and COLANSA members to coordinate actions defined for the participating countries in accordance with prioritized policies.    

The HCT will be responsible for organizing the work plan and reporting on the progress made by the Hub.    

Additionally, COLANSA will be supported in seeking funding to carry out further studies and proposals that cannot be continued at this stage due to time and resource constraints.   

WHO CAN BE MEMBER?

Participants of the Hub will be researchers and experts with a background in the fiscal and economic issues to be addressed, who will be invited from the participating countries, initially limited to no more than fifteen members.    

The Hub will periodically call meetings for those interested in its activities and objectives within COLANSA to explain the progress and outcomes achieved.