The Somalia Nutrition Cluster is a coordination mechanism that aims to ensure effective and strategic emergency nutrition responses. The cluster mainly focuses on overall response coordination, partner capacity-building, assessment and emergency preparedness, and improving coverage of emergency nutrition programmes. The Somalia nutrition-response programming uses agreed priorities. It is mainly undertaken by UN agencies, and international and national non-governmental organizations with donor support.

The cluster is guided by the following objectives:

• Systematic treatment of acutely malnourished children and pregnant and lactating women by accessing and using quality services for the management of acute malnutrition.
   
• Expansion of women's and children's access to evidence-based and feasible nutrition and nutrition-related services available through the use of the basic nutrition services package.
   
• Strengthening capacity of nutrition partners: international and local NGOs, community based organisations, local communities and line ministries to deliver quality and sustainable basic nutrition services package (BSPN) through a variety of approaches.

The cluster is responsible for sharing information with its members and other stakeholders, and conducting interagency and multi-cluster situation assessments in Somalia using standard guidelines. The cluster is also responsible for developing the nutrition response package that addresses emergency and non- emergency issues influencing nutrition on a regular basis. The cluster facilitates technical support, and the development of protocols and guidelines for programme implementation, in line with international standards and appropriate Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials for use in stakeholders’ nutrition response.

The cluster advocates mainstreaming of cross-cutting issues into nutrition programming, such as gender, age, HIV/AIDs and human rights. It also advocates innovative strategies for providing nutrition services to vulnerable women and children in highly insecure locations. Appropriate inter-cluster strategies to address the underlying causes of malnutrition are at the core of the cluster’s function.