Brasília, Brazil, 25 February 2026 – The 39th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC39) will be held in Brasília, Brazil, from 2 to 6 March.
LARC is the region’s main political and technical forum on food security and sustainable agriculture and will primarily define FAO’s work priorities in LAC for the next two years.
The region shows progress in reducing hunger but still faces deep inequalities, as well as climate and economic pressures that threaten these achievements. The decisions adopted at this meeting will set the regional roadmap for the coming years.
School feeding will be one of the strategic policies highlighted in these decisions. To ensure visibility, it will feature a stand titled National School Feeding Programme: sustainable actions and South-South cooperation, which will showcase the experience of the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE), implemented for more than 70 years in Brazil, with universal coverage reaching over 40 million students enrolled in basic education.
It will also disseminate actions carried out through Brazil-FAO International Cooperation in school feeding in the region, implemented by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil; the National Fund for Educational Development (FNDE); and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The stand will highlight the actions and results of the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES), an initiative created in 2018 by these same institutions and which currently has 18 member countries.
In addition, on Monday, 2 March, at 14:30, a thematic session dedicated to the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE) and South-South cooperation will be held, with the participation of representatives from ABC, FAO and FNDE.
LARC39
LARC will begin on March 2 with the Senior Officers Meeting (SOM), a technical body that will bring together delegations from Member States to examine strategic challenges and define key guidance for the region.
From a programmatic perspective, FAO will present the results achieved in LAC during the 2024–2025 biennium, highlighting progress in sustainability, agricultural innovation, healthy diets, climate resilience and rural development, as well as partnerships and initiatives contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Following the SOM, the Ministerial Meeting will take place from 4 to 6 March. It will be inaugurated by high-level authorities of Brazil and the FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu. Within the framework of the Ministerial Meeting, high-level sessions will be held to facilitate the exchange of experiences among countries, as well as joint analysis of challenges, progress and lessons learned regarding policies to eradicate hunger and poverty, reduce inequalities, and expand financing and investment in agriculture and food systems.
LARC has consolidated its role as the main political and technical forum in LAC to discuss food security and sustainable agriculture. At each session, the Conference defines FAO’s work priorities in the region for the following two years.
See online: https://www.fao.org/events/detail/larc39/en