In 2021, the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger Brazil celebrated 10 years of operation, supporting countries in building sustainable solutions to fight hunger. To mark the date, the Centre of Excellence launched a special page and a book with the main highlights and results of these years. In addition, an international event marked the date and was attended by partners and representatives from various WFP offices.
With remote work still being the rule, online meetings and events gained even more importance for the continuation of activities. In November, for example, the Centre of Excellence participated in a conference with the Romanian government to discuss school feeding in the country. The participation of the government of Brazil, supported by the Centre of Excellence, in the global event to launch the School Feeding Coalition was also an important highlight of the year.
This year also marked the launch and the first edition of the “Virtual Study Visit: Brazil”, with Lesotho’s participation. The visit’s methodology was developed in partnership with the Brazilian Cooperation Agency and the National Fund for Education Development. In addition, the Programme team launched important publications with information that is relevant to the work supporting countries. Two of them are focused on school meals for traditional communities – quilombola and indigenous peoples – and provide details on the specific strategies adopted by the National School Feeding Programme.
The Nurture the Future project made important advances in the knowledge dissemination and experience exchange with cooperating countries, with the launch of several publications on actions for the prevention and care of childhood obesity in Brazil and in the cooperating countries (Colombia and Peru). In addition, the team participated in several actions of the Year of Fruits and Vegetables, including a national meeting and regional meetings, which resulted in a publication on the experiences presented at these events.
The Beyond Cotton project also moved forward, with the start of field activities in Mozambique. The project was also featured at an event to mark World Cotton Day and a series of classes on the role of fashion in fighting hunger. At the lecture, the Centre of Excellence team explained how the Beyond Cotton project is helping end hunger by increasing production of certified cotton and training small farmers.
In 2021, the Centre of Excellence strengthened existing partnerships and created new ones. The Global Child Nutrition Foundation, for instance, published a document on the importance of partnering with the Centre of Excellence in South-South Cooperation activities. Other institutions with which partnerships have been renewed or created include Ação da Cidadania, Conab, Stop Hunger Institute, Transforma Brasil, World Transforming Technologies (WTT), Scopo Sports and Technical University of Denmark.
For 2022, a new project financed by the India-Brazil-South Africa Fund (IBSA) will take place in the Republic of Congo.