Events

The School Meals Coalition will engage in the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in Paris, advocating for school meals as a key driver of nutrition and development. The summit will seek to secure ambitious financial and political commitments and foster dialogue among diverse actors from around the world to drive a bold vision for nutrition and sustainable development. At the summit, the School Meals Coalition, its Initiatives and Partners will highlight the role of school meal programmes in increasing access to healthy food as well as in improving and maintaining nutritional outcomes. 

International School Meals Day is an annual opportunity to celebrate the power of school meals in supporting children’s health, education, and overall development around the world.

The School Meals Coalition joins governments, partners, and schools in highlighting the essential role of school meal programmes in building strong food systems, improving learning outcomes, and supporting local communities. 

Use the Coalition's social media toolkit to amplify the impact of school meals on social media here.

The Government of the Central African Republic and the African Union will host the 10th Africa Day of School Feeding in Bangui. This year’s theme, “A Decade of Nourishment: Celebrating the Past, Securing a Just Future,” celebrates ten years of progress on school meals by showcasing achievements, while emphasizing the urgency of scaling up efforts to secure a better future for Africa’s children. The annual celebration serves as a crucial continental platform to galvanize support, reflect on successes and challenges, and drive innovative approaches to strengthen home-grown school feeding programmes across Africa.

The Global Child Nutrition Forum is a four-day learning exchange and technical assistance conference held biannually to support countries in the development and implementation of sustainable school feeding programmes.

From 3-5 December 2024, the III International Seminar on Good Practices in School Feeding will take place in São Tomé and Príncipe. The meeting is held under the theme "Youth and Sustainability in the CPLP."

The event will bring together CPLP ministers of education, partners, and experts to exchange knowledge, share best practices, and strengthen school feeding programmes across member states. Key discussions will focus on universal school feeding coverage, innovative solutions such as school gardens and local food sourcing, sustainable financing, and aligning efforts with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The meeting will also reflect on the CPLP's potential role in the Global School Meals Coalition, promoting multilateral cooperation and sustainable development in the region.

The Government of Cambodia co-hosted  the Southeast Asia School Meals Coalition Summit in Siem Reap on 18-20 November 2024, together with the governments of the Philippines and the Republic of Korea. This summit, organized under the umbrella of the School Meals Coalition, marks a significant milestone in the region's commitment to advancing human capital development and transforming food systems. 

On 12-13 November 2024, the Government of Ukraine, in partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the School Meals Coalition, hosted the European Regional School Meals Summit in Kyiv. This summit brought together ministers and high-level representatives from across Europe to accelerate regional and global efforts to ensure that every child has access to a nutritious school meal by 2030.

With over a century of leadership in school meals, Europe had been at the forefront of efforts to ensure nutritious meals were accessible in schools, setting global standards for quality and reach. By that time, 17 European countries were members of the School Meals Coalition, working alongside over 100 member states and 130 partners to advance sustainable food sourcing, enhance nutrition standards, and implement innovative financing strategies to scale and enhance national programmes worldwide.

The UN’s 29th annual climate conference (COP29) will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan from Nov. 11-Nov. 22, 2024. Members and Partners of the School Meals Coalition will be participating and presenting evidence on climate-smart approaches to school meals programming.