Professionals from different ministries and government bodies in Brazil, United Nations (UN) agencies and representatives from countries in the region will meet virtually on 20 June to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Law 11.947/2009 – the School Feeding Law – which is considered a milestone for strengthening school feeding programmes in Brazil and Latin America and the Caribbean. The First Lady of Brazil, Janja Lula da Silva, an ambassador for school feeding, is also scheduled to attend the event virtually.
The event is organised by the National Education Development Fund (FNDE), with the support of the South-South Cooperation Programme developed between the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with the participation of the World Food Programme (WFP) Centre of Excellence against Hunger in Brazil.
Throughout the event, some of the innovations and results that this law has brought to Brazil and the entire region will be celebrated, with testimonies from national actors and other countries in the region, highlighting the influence of this legislation on the development of their school feeding policies and programmes.
Law 11.947/2009
One of the greatest innovations of Law 11.947/2009 was the provision for all students enrolled in public schools in the country to have access to school meals. Today, this represents around 40 million students, with more than 50 million meals a day offered by the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE), in collaboration with states and municipalities, in a joint and decisive action to contribute to the fight against hunger in the country.
As well as legally guaranteeing school meals for all students, respecting the principle of the human right to food, the law established that at least 30% of the transfers from the FNDE, the Programme’s executor, must be earmarked for the purchase of products from local family farming.
This regulatory framework also addresses the implementation of food and nutrition education actions in schools, which are important for promoting healthier eating habits in current and future generations. The PNAE covers around 150,000 public schools, 250,000 teachers and 9,000 nutritionists, spread across 5,570 municipalities, 26 states and the Federal District.
A law that inspires other countries
Interest in the Brazilian law has attracted and continues to attract governments from other countries to learn more about how the PNAE works. For this reason, since 2011, the Brazilian government, through the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) and the National Education Development Fund (FNDE), in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP) Centre of Excellence against Hunger in Brazil, has been developing projects aimed at strengthening and consolidating school feeding programmes and policies in Africa and Asia.
The work of the partnership between the Brazilian government and the WFP Centre of Excellence also influences institutional actors, such as the African Union, which in 2019 completed an important phase in the formation of its school feeding network with the continued use of Brazilian expertise; the WFP Centre of Excellence, which benefits from Brazilian expertise in improving its strategic planning and policy implementation of school-based programmes; and the United Nations Secretariat, which through its Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), recognises in its latest volume on “Global Best Practices in South-South Cooperation” the Centre’s work in disseminating FNDE’s knowledge and the role of ABC in catalysing knowledge exchanges based on South-South Cooperation (SSC). This volume of Best Practices directly mentions the work done with the African Union and the efforts of previous projects that included the Republic of Mozambique.
Motivated by Brazil’s School Feeding Law, the direct impact of this cooperation’s actions can be seen in the scope and depth of the numbers achieved to date:
- 73 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America engaged in South-South Cooperation activities facilitated by the Centre of Excellence;
- 54 African countries committed to investing in school feeding within the framework of the African Union;
- 52 study visits from African, Asian and Latin American countries to Brazil, immersed in learning, raising awareness and building lasting partnerships;
- 30 countries investing in national school feeding programmes, with technical assistance from the WFP Centre of Excellence;
- 20 countries have advanced in their regulatory or legal frameworks for national school feeding policies;
- 19 countries in the process of transitioning school feeding programmes to national management.
Also inspired by Law 11.947/2009, the reality TV show “Vida de Merendeira” was launched in 2024, the result of a partnership between the National Education Development Fund (FNDE), the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger in Brazil and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC).
Social Pact Award
During the virtual event, the CAE Social Participation Award 2024 will be launched, which aims to highlight the importance of the participation of School Feeding Councils in the implementation of PNAE Brazil.