CARICOM Member States to Attend School Feeding Forum in Brazil
(Food and Agriculture Organisation Press Release) Representatives from 10 Latin American and Caribbean countries will participate, from August 29th to September 2nd, in an international technical mission organised by the trilateral south-south cooperation project Consolidation of School Feeding Programmes in LAC. The objective of the mission is to promote the exchange of experiences and good practices that support capacity-building in order to strengthen the public policy on school feeding in the region.
Participating in the mission are government representatives that work in the area of school feeding from Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Peru, as well as members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the University of the West Indies.
“The exchange of experiences we have supported over the past 13 years has contributed significantly to the consolidation and strengthening of school feeding programmes throughout the Latin American and Caribbean region” said Najla Veloso, project coordinator.
The school feeding project is part of the actions of the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation Programme. It is developed jointly by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ABC/MRE), the National Fund for Educational Development of the Ministry of Education (FNDE/MEC), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
School and field experiences: technical visits
During the five-day mission, participants will visit schools and family farmers’ cooperatives located in the capital of Brazil, having the opportunity to talk with school feeding authorities and technicians, nutritionists, teachers, students, and producers involved in the provision of local food, among other actors.
Participants will also be introduced to the implementation of Brazil’s National School Feeding Programme (PNAE, by its Portuguese acronym). They will also learn about the progress, challenges, concepts, guidelines, legal frameworks, objectives, and implementation of the school feeding policy at different levels of government (federal, state, and municipal).
The PNAE is based on legal frameworks, food and nutrition education actions, and the supply of healthy, adequate, and regional food, with at least 30% of the products purchased from family farming, which is guaranteed by law. Its structure is organised to serve almost 41 million students daily. The policy is implemented in a collaborative system of the 27 Brazilian states and 5,570 municipalities.
“PNAE, with the support of international organisations, has been in dialogue with school feeding programmes in different regions and continents. We are proud to support the consolidation of this policy in other countries in favor of the students’ right for a healthy and adequate diet at school”, said Solange Castro, general coordinator (substitute) of the PNAE Brazil.
Sustainable School Feeding Network – RAES
As part of the activities organised for the mission, the Regional Dialogue with Latin America and the Caribbean – 2022, promoted by the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES by its Spanish acronym), will be held on September 1st. The RAES Network is promoted by the Government of Brazil, through ABC/MRE and FNDE/MEC, with the support of FAO and the managers of partner countries. The RAES Executive Secretariat is carried out by the Consolidation of School Feeding Programs in the LAC project.
With virtual transmission and translation into English, Spanish and Portuguese, at 14:30 (Brasilia time), the event will have as its main theme the importance of regulatory frameworks for school feeding policy, with a presentation by Manuela Cuvi, FAO legal officer.
“Through RAES and the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation, we seek permanent dialogue with the countries, for the strengthening and consolidation of school feeding programmes and the definitive incorporation of this policy as a tool to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” explains Ms. Veloso.
Registration link to the Regional Dialogue With Latin America and the Caribbean – 2022
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IzJwXMnBTTOGxs-tjWjpIg
Source: CARICOM TODAY