The work of the RAES Network in LAC since its creation in 2018 was presented, highlighting the formal membership of 17 countries in 2024 and other activities to support school feeding programmes in the region.
Paulo Beraldo
Brasilia, Brazil, December 13, 2024 – The Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES) participated in the four-day Global Child Nutrition Forum (GCNF) held in Osaka, Japan, from December 9 to 12. During the event, RAES had the opportunity to present its experience in Latin America and the Caribbean to participants from five continents.
RAES was represented by the institutions that constitute the network: the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), through project analyst Paola Barbieri; the National Fund for Educational Development (FNDE), represented by its president, Fernanda Pacobahyba, and the coordinator of Brazil’s National School Feeding Programme, Karine Santos; and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), represented by Najla Veloso, coordinator of the project Regional Agenda for Sustainable School Feeding in LAC.
The theme of the Global Child Nutrition Forum was “School Feeding Programs in the Era of Agrifood System Transformation.” Across four days, plenary meetings and technical workshops were held to exchange experiences. Among the key topics discussed were school feeding in the global agenda, financing, climate change, and nutrition.
The president of FNDE, Fernanda Pacobahyba, presented the experience of the RAES Network in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) since its creation in 2018, highlighting the formal adhesion of 17 countries in 2024, the in-person and virtual training sessions conducted, the exchanges of experiences, the technical missions, and the continuous support for school feeding programs in the region.
According to Pacobahyba, RAES is the result of intense cooperation by Brazil in the region in partnership with FAO. “School feeding is part of a set of successful social policies, and we believe that world hunger remains a political decision. School feeding is a powerful tool that can be used by all nations,” she stated.
The GCNF forum, held every two years, was attended by approximately 450 professionals and aims to serve as an international platform for governments, universities, and other institutions to exchange experiences on school feeding programmes. In addition to discussions, the event showcased school feeding experiences in Japan and organized a visit to a local school to observe the practical implementation and execution of the policy.
“The RAES Network shared its learnings in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is essential to highlight that everything built in the region has made Latin America and the Caribbean a global reference in school feeding. It is very important to occupy these spaces, showcase our progress, and share learnings with our brothers and sisters from all parts of the world,” said Najla Veloso, coordinator of the Regional Agenda for Sustainable School Feeding in LAC and executive secretary of the RAES Network.
Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty
Brazil played a prominent role throughout the Forum. In the session “School Feeding on the Global Agenda,” the General Coordinator of Food and Nutrition Security at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saulo Ceolin, presented the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, a Brazilian initiative proposed during the country’s G20 presidency, launched last month.
Ceolin explained how countries, international organizations, banks, and other institutions can join the Alliance, which currently has over 140 members. While detailing the operation of the set of public policies collectively approved and tested by its members, he emphasized that the policy of school feeding based on local procurement is one of the most significant.
“School feeding is highlighted in all Alliance negotiations and documents. Based on research about the international cooperation and funding landscape for global development, it is possible to state that the best way to invest resources to achieve rapid results in the fight against hunger and poverty is through school feeding linked to local production. In Brazil, we know that school feeding can change scenarios and transform realities, impacting not only the fight against hunger and poverty and improving nutrition but also education, health, and, when including local procurement, economic, social, and agricultural development,” he said.
The Brazilian experience on school feeding was presented by Karine Santos, General Coordinator of the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE), who highlighted the challenges related to local procurement in indigenous and quilombola communities.
Another highlight of Brazil’s participation in the Forum was a workshop led by representatives of the WFP Centre of Excellence Against Hunger in Brazil. Titled “Integrating Smart Climate Strategies into Nutritious and Sustainable Food Systems,” the workshop was attended by at least 100 participants. Brazil, Cambodia, and Kenya presented the national school feeding programmes implemented in their countries. Each representative addressed the challenges faced in implementing public procurement from family farming for school feeding programmes and discussed the strategies adopted to overcome these difficulties.
Field visit
The final activity of the Forum was a visit to a Japanese school to observe firsthand how Shokuiku, the Japanese model of food and nutrition education (FNE), is applied. This model focuses on student participation throughout the school feeding process, considering nutritional, sustainability, tradition, and child socialization aspects. In this model, children are encouraged to participate in harvesting food, serving lunch to each other, and sharing and discussing their meals, enabling them to try foods different from their usual diets.
Content produced with the support of the Brazilian Cooperation Agency.
