{"id":31935,"date":"2026-06-01T17:01:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T20:01:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redraes.org\/south-south-cooperation-on-school-feeding-highlighted-at-rome-nutrition-week\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T17:26:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T20:26:26","slug":"south-south-cooperation-on-school-feeding-highlighted-at-rome-nutrition-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redraes.org\/en\/south-south-cooperation-on-school-feeding-highlighted-at-rome-nutrition-week\/","title":{"rendered":"South-South Cooperation on School Feeding Highlighted at Rome Nutrition Week"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During the event organized by FAO, UN Nutrition, and other Rome-based agencies, actions developed by the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES), implemented through the Brazil-FAO Trilateral South-South Cooperation Programme, were presented. The initiative aims to strengthen school feeding programmes across Latin America and the Caribbean.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paulo Beraldo and Palova Brito<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bras\u00edlia, Brazil, 1 June 2026<\/strong> \u2014 Brazil\u2019s school feeding experience, recognized for promoting the nutrition of millions of students while strengthening family farming, as well as initiatives developed through the Brazil-FAO South-South Cooperation Programme to support school feeding policies in Latin America and the Caribbean, were showcased during Rome Nutrition Week, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UN Nutrition and other agencies, from 25 to 28 May in Rome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The participation of RAES and Brazil took place during the session \u201cStrengthening Nutrition through Inclusive, Diverse and Local School Meals,\u201d which featured opening remarks by Brazil\u2019s First Lady and School Feeding Ambassador, Janja Lula da Silva. In her speech, she highlighted that nearly 40 million students benefit from Brazil\u2019s National School Feeding Programme (PNAE), alongside thousands of family farmers who supply food to schools, ensuring stable incomes and strengthening local production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The First Lady also emphasized that Brazil\u2019s experience has inspired cooperation initiatives promoted by the National Fund for Educational Development (FNDE) and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), in partnership with international organizations such as FAO, which appointed her as a FAO Goodwill Champion Against Hunger in 2026. Janja also recalled that the creation of the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES), launched in 2018 by the Government of Brazil with FAO serving as Executive Secretariat, is regarded as a regional milestone and a lesson learned at the global level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStrengthening this agenda internationally is essential to expand investments capable of scaling up sustainable food production and building food systems centered on human rights, biodiversity, and care for the planet,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RAES provides technical support to help countries implement and strengthen their school feeding programmes based on the principle of the human right to adequate food. The Network promotes the provision of healthy, fresh, and locally sourced foods while respecting food cultures. It also supports food and nutrition education initiatives and the development of school gardens. In addition, it serves as evidence of progress toward improving nutrition across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Regional Platform for Exchange<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fernanda Pacobahyba, President of FNDE, also spoke about RAES, stating that the Network has become one of the most relevant regional platforms for technical and policy exchange on sustainable school feeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday, 18 countries formally participate in the Network, working together on issues such as the universalization of school feeding, strengthening regulatory frameworks, public procurement from family farming, food and nutrition education, and improvements in school infrastructure,\u201d she said, highlighting that regional cooperation has produced concrete results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Najla Veloso, FAO Senior School Feeding Specialist for Latin America and the Caribbean and Executive Secretary of RAES, presented the Network\u2019s achievements and highlighted the most recent work carried out by member countries to develop a regional agenda for strengthening school feeding. The agenda is structured around seven priority areas: management and governance, financing, regulatory frameworks, public procurement from family farming, food, nutrition and environmental education, monitoring and evaluation, and the promotion of healthy diets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the past eight years, RAES has fostered dialogue, strengthened capacities, and promoted the exchange of experiences among public officials and professionals across the region. Current member countries include Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, and Uruguay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Closing the panel, Cec\u00edlia Malaguti, Head of Trilateral South-South Cooperation with International Organizations at ABC\/MRE, stated that Brazil\u2019s experience demonstrates how universal and nutrition-sensitive public policies can improve students\u2019 health and learning outcomes, strengthen family farming, promote gender equality, and foster more sustainable food systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malaguti also highlighted the importance of technical exchanges promoted through international cooperation on school feeding, a field in which Brazil has been engaged for nearly two decades in partnership with various countries and international organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event brought together representatives from countries such as Kenya, Finland, and the Philippines, as well as international experts. During the discussions, experts and government representatives emphasized that school feeding can play a strategic role in transforming agrifood systems by improving the nutrition of millions of students and strengthening local economies through linkages with family farming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meetings and Strategic Dialogues<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to participating in thematic sessions during Rome Nutrition Week, the delegation engaged in a series of meetings and strategic dialogues with international organizations and multilateral partners. Meetings were held with representatives of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, an initiative launched by Brazil within the framework of the G20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The delegation also met with FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu, reaffirming the role of RAES in strengthening nutrition and school feeding across Latin America and the Caribbean. Brazil\u2019s commitment to knowledge exchange and to strengthening South-South Cooperation in the fight against hunger and poverty was also highlighted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During the event organized by FAO, UN Nutrition, and other Rome-based agencies, actions developed by the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES), implemented through the Brazil-FAO Trilateral South-South Cooperation Programme, were presented. The initiative aims to strengthen school feeding programmes across Latin America and the Caribbean. Paulo Beraldo and Palova Brito Bras\u00edlia, Brazil, 1 June 2026 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":31932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[662,163,495],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-banner-en","category-news","category-news-home"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redraes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redraes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redraes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redraes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redraes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31935"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/redraes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31938,"href":"https:\/\/redraes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31935\/revisions\/31938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redraes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redraes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redraes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redraes.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}