The virtual meeting was attended by more than 300 participants from the region.
Brasília, Brazil, August 27, 2024 – Nearly 300 participants, including school feeding authorities from Latin America and the Caribbean, representatives of the diplomatic corps and experts from 26 countries met virtually to discuss the formal adhesion to the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES) and the joint declaration of commitment to advances in school feeding policy in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The activity took place on August 23, as part of the initiatives carried out jointly by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ABC/MRE), the National Fund for Educational Development (FNDE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) within the framework of the RAES.
Mario Lubetkin, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, opened the event by highlighting the key role of school feeding programmes (SFP) in food and nutrition security and in ensuring the human right to adequate food. Lubetkin stressed the importance of continuing to promote the RAES as a “valuable regional strategy”, and inviting countries to join this dialogue and propose actions and solutions to achieve the goals of eradicating poverty, hunger and inequalities.
The Deputy Director of ABC/MRE, Ambassador Luiza Lopes da Silva, pointed out the importance of strengthening the existing instances and spaces for dialogue so that, together, more socially, economically and environmentally sustainable school feeding policies and programmes can be achieved. “We invite countries to join this regional effort to ensure that all students in the region have their right to food assured in schools every school day,” she said.
Fernanda Pacobahyba, President of the FNDE, said that countries increasingly need public policies that are structured and based on data and evidence. In this sense, she stressed the importance of producing the analysis of the development indicators of school feeding programmes, which will be called “maturity analysis” of the SFP. “The idea is to evaluate to understand where the programmes are and what actions we need to take to reach other stages,” she explained.
FAO Nutrition Officer Israel Ríos presented the commitments on the progress of school feeding in LAC and the deadline of the adhesion to the RAES, invinting countries to formally join the network. The documents, signed by the authorities of each country, must be submitted by 27 September to finalize the formal adhesion. “We are very happy to make and see the adhesion of each country”.
Adhesion to the RAES
Adhesion is an important moment in which the countries become members of the RAES, giving this body legitimacy in dialogue with the member countries and in defining a strategic agenda for the region.
It will also promote a regional agenda that includes three major initiatives: The first, the development of a study on the components of school feeding programmes, an analysis of the maturity of these programmes, to be initiated in five countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. The second, the development of the regional school feeding agenda, the definition of priority issues. The third initiative is the medium- and long-term debate on national school feeding policies, that is, how to move forward so that, in addition to having programmes, we also have a guiding policy document.
Impressions of the work of the RAES
Speaking on behalf of Latin American governments, El Salvador’s representative, Carolina Mejía, Director of Social Programmes at the country’s Ministry of Education, emphasized that countries share common challenges, so it is important to maintain support and consolidate the RAES to continue working together. She emphasised that El Salvador has been part of the network’s activities for years and highlighted the importance of this support in strengthening school feeding in the country.
Speaking on behalf of the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Shaun Baugh Programme Manager – Agricultural Agro-Industrial Development, explained that the membership demonstrates the level of seriousness, importance and confidence that the countries place in the network and in school feeding programmes. “We value the relationship we have with RAES and it is a pleasure to be part of the activities. We look forward to working even more closely together”.
The FAO Representative in Paraguay, Iván León, speaking on behalf of the Organisation’s national offices, pointed out that “the institutionalisation of the RAES is becoming a key mechanism to contribute to the eradication of hunger and poverty,” adding: “The network keeps countries connected and is an example of the progress made by the region, which is promoted through the exchange of experiences and good practices,” said León.
The event was attended by professionals from Argentina, Brazil, Belize, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Jamaica, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela and Uruguay. Representatives of the Caribbean Community, CARICOM, nine embassies of Latin American and Caribbean countries in Brasilia and 20 embassies of Brazil in Latin American and Caribbean countries also participated.
Maturity analysis
Karine Santos, Coordinator of the School Feeding Programme in Brazil, presented the objectives of the Maturity Analysis, a study that will be developed by RAES in the coming months. The aim is to strengthen the joint construction of the regional school feeding agenda in the region; to show progress and achievements; and to identify issues that require greater attention and new actions. “It is a work that will guide the technical support activities of the RAES,” she said.
Global Alliance
Saulo Ceolin, Coordinator for Food and Nutrition Security at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presented the Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, an initiative of the Brazilian government during its presidency of the G20. He mentioned that school feeding has been proven to be effective and will be one of the priority policies in the Alliance, emphasizing that this global initiative “can help all member countries of the RAES to have more visibility, support and resources”.
At the end of the event, Najla Veloso, regional coordinator of the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation Programme on School Feeding, said the commitments were the result of more than 15 years of dialogue and trust between the Brazilian government and FAO. With regard to the network, she said that this adhesion “will allow a better link between technical and high-level managers, focus on member countries and prioritise technical assistance activities. RAES must be made available as a network to support and share experiences, challenges and progress with other regional and global agendas”.
