The Network will participate in a side event where it will be represented by Paola Barbieri, project analyst at the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), and Karine Santos, coordinator of Brazil’s National School Feeding Programme (PNAE), implemented by the National Fund for Educational Development (FNDE).
The Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES), an initiative of the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation Programme, will participate in the 53rd session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS 53), to be held at FAO headquarters in Rome from 20 to 24 October 2025. The event brings together governments, international organisations, civil society and other key actors to discuss solutions to the main challenges of food security and nutrition in the world.
During this edition, discussions will focus on sustainable financing, the transformation of agri-food systems, and integrated strategies to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, in a context of global economic and climate recovery.
The objective of CFS 53 is to strengthen global food security governance by promoting inclusive, sustainable and people-centred public policies. It also seeks to foster cooperation between countries and regions to ensure universal access to healthy and affordable diets.
One of the main features of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) is the specific inclusion of all stakeholders in the policy debate. In addition to Member States, the Committee is open to participants from United Nations agencies with specific mandates in the field of food security, civil society and non-governmental organisations, international agricultural research systems, international and regional financial institutions, private sector organisations and philanthropic foundations.
The RAES will participate in side event SE13 – ‘Investing in the future: Building partnerships and strengthening financing for healthier School Meals Programmes’, which will address the importance of sustainable financing and local partnerships in consolidating healthier, more inclusive and equitable school feeding programmes. The initiative will highlight the RAES’s experience in strengthening public policies in 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting nutritional standards, public procurement from family farms and spaces for political dialogue.
Sustainable financing, knowledge and local partnerships are essential to ensure quality, inclusion, equity and long-term impact. For example, RAES supports countries in improving their sustainable school feeding programmes through dialogue, policy development, nutritional standards and public procurement from family farms. While funding is a key component, knowledge and understanding of the enabling environment, nutrition, local food preferences and local partnerships are also crucial to scaling up programmes.
Join us online on Wednesday, 22 October 2025 at 08:30 (UTC+2) for this event, which aims to share good practices in financing and collaboration, as well as discuss enabling environments with a child-centred approach. The dialogue will highlight how school feeding can boost agri-food resilience and access to healthy and affordable diets.
Side event date: 22 October 2025
Venue: Philippines Room – FAO Headquarters, Rome
Time: 8:30 – 9:45 (CET)
Registration: https://fao.zoom.us/meeting/register/e8Kg2ANzRbywSGrbefmQlw#/registration More information: https://www.fao.org/cfs/es/
Visit the Side Events section of the 53rd Session of the Committee on World Food Security.
