Bolivia's Supreme Decree No. 27029: Establishment of the National Food and Nutrition Council (CONAN)

Bolivia's Supreme Decree No. 27029, enacted on May 8, 2003, establishes the National Food and Nutrition Council (CONAN) as the body responsible for promoting and coordinating interinstitutional and intersectoral participation in the formulation and monitoring of national food and nutrition policies. The decree defines the Council's composition, bringing together representatives of several executive branch institutions, and provides that its presidency is held by the First Lady and its Technical Secretariat by a representative of the Ministry of Health and Sports, under the institutional arrangements originally established in 2003. It also requires the preparation of organizational regulations through a ministerial resolution and specifies that participation in Council meetings and activities is unpaid and does not generate expenditures for the National Treasury. The decree responds to the need for coordinated public action on food and nutrition, particularly concerning child undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. Its principal mechanism is the establishment of a national coordination and governance body; it does not directly establish cash transfers, food subsidies or individual nutrition benefits.