Events
Upcoming events
School Meals at the 2026 Global Child Nutrition Forum
Under the theme "From Vision to Action: Achieving Ambitious School Meal Program Objectives," the 2026 GCNF is taking place in Lusaka, Zambia, from 2-5 November 2026. The forum will bring together government representatives, development partners, researchers, civil society, and private sector stakeholders to explore practical solutions for scaling and strengthening school meal programmes worldwide. Participants will examine key issues including healthy school food environments, youth engagement, school feeding in crisis and displacement settings, sustainable financing, local procurement, job creation, climate-resilient food systems, nutrition innovation, and responsible private sector engagement.
School Meals at the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31)
COP31, taking place in Antalya, Türkiye from 9-20 November 2026, aims to translate dialogue into action under Türkiye's presidency. The conference brings together global leaders, policymakers, scientists, businesses, civil society, and youth to accelerate climate action and strengthen international cooperation, while advancing implementation of the Paris Agreement. COP31 discussions on sustainable food systems, food security, climate finance, youth engagement and inclusive development provide a strong platform for members and partners of the School Meals Coalition to showcase how nationally owned school meal programmes can serve as a practical investment at the intersection of nutrition, education, resilience and climate action.
Child Nutrition at the Heart of the Paris Peace Forum 2026
The Paris Peace Forum, from 10-11 November, convenes governments, international organizations, civil society and more to develop practical solutions to shared global challenges. It seeks to advance governance & concrete initiatives in areas like peace and security, sustainable development, climate action, health, technology & international cooperation. Under the theme "From Sovereignty to Cooperation," the forum will have a special focus on childhood and the investments needed to support children. It offers an opportunity to highlight the role of school meals as effective public investment tools in peace, stability and human capital.
Past Events
2nd Ministerial Task Force Meeting of the School Meals Coalition
The Government of Kenya hosted the second Ministerial Meeting of the School Meals Coalition Taskforce in Nairobi, bringing together the Taskforce, which is the governing body of the Coalition, to advance the mission of ensuring every child had access to a nutritious meal in school by 2030.
H.E. Dr. William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, delivered the keynote address, furthering Kenya’s commitment to scaling school meals to reach 10 million children by 2030. This initiative aligned with Kenya’s recent launch of the National School Meals Coalition and the release of a new 'Operational Plan' for the scale-up of the School Meals Programme to universal coverage.
World Food Forum: Global Family Farming Forum
The year-long activities of the World Food Forum culminate in an annual flagship event - a dynamic global platform that transcends boundaries, generations and sectors to transform the future of our agrifood systems. It will bring together world experts, impassioned changemakers and visionary leaders of all ages around the theme: “Good food for all, for today and tomorrow”.
African Nutrition Society Annual Conference
The 9th Africa Nutrition Conference, to be held in Cape Coast, Ghana, will highlight and reflect the succession of global and regional crises and issues currently impacting on nutrition and health, and their implications for research, practice, advocacy and the training of nutrition and health professionals in Africa.
UN General Assembly side event: Partnerships to Catalyze Action to End Hunger and Malnutrition
Join SMC the margins of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly high-level week and the Summit of the Future. The side event “Partnerships to Catalyze Action to End Hunger and Malnutrition” will take place on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, 1:00 to 2:30 PM EDT , at the Church Center of the United Nations, 777 United Nations Plaza 8th floor.
UN Summit of the Future: Pact for the Future
Action Days - 20-21 September; Summit - 22-23 September
The Summit is a high-level event, bringing world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future. See Summit of the Future Outcome documents.
ECOWAS Regional Conference 2024
The School Meals Coalition is proud to support the The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Homegrown School Feeding Conference. Fourteen of the fifteen ECOWAS countries are members of the School Meals Coalition, reflecting shared dedication to expanding access to school meals for children in the region.
The School Meals Coalition at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28)
School Meals Coalistion hosted two events at COP 28, where countries showcased how their school meals programmes drive sustainable food systems transformation and climate action.
1st Global Summit of the School Meals Coalition
The School Meals Coalition First Global Summit took place in Paris France on 18-19 October 2023. World leaders convened to showcase member countries’ new commitments and welcomed new members of the Coalition.