In 2023, humanitarian emergencies aggravated by conflicts and climate disasters made the World Food Programme’s (WFP) mission to save lives even more difficult. Even in the face of these challenges, the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger in Brazil has dedicated itself tirelessly to its mission of assisting the countries of the global South in formulating strategies to mitigate inequalities.
In addition, it expanded its activities to support nations on crucial issues such as school feeding, nutrition and strengthening family farming. The Centre established new partnerships and expanded initiatives already underway, thus reinforcing its commitment to sustainable development and food security around the world. The 2023 Annual Report details how these actions have supported countries and local partners in South-South Cooperation actions to achieve Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2 and 17.
The Centre of Excellence stepped up its support for the Brazilian government during the Food Systems Summit and in leading the Global School Feeding Coalition. The WFP plays a key role as the secretariat of the Coalition, and in October, Brazil took over the co-chairmanship of the group along with France and Finland. This appointment represents a significant step forward in Brazil’s global engagement in issues related to school feeding, consolidating its position as a protagonist in this field.
In addition, the Centre of Excellence supported the National Fund for the Development of Education (FNDE, in Portuguese) and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC, in Portuguese) in producing the book “School Feeding in Brazil: an overview of the best recipes”, which brings together recipes and testimonies from cooks and nutritionists involved in the reality cooking show competitions with cooks from all over the country. The Centre of Excellence will also support the FNDE in producing a new edition of the reality show about the lives of Brazil’s school cooks in 2024.
Trilateral and South-South Cooperation
The Centre of Excellence also works to support countries through remote or face-to-face technical cooperation, through projects such as the “Virtual Study Visit: Brazil”. In 2023, the Centre supported countries such as Angola, Armenia, the Philippines, Namibia, Nicaragua, East Timor and Togo, as well as other Portuguese-speaking African countries. In all, 16 countries were supported during the year.
Another highlight was the creation and launch of an innovative project in collaboration with the Republic of Congo, the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) and with financing from the IBSA Fund. This project aims to improve the food security and nutritional status of family farmers, with a special focus on women and schoolchildren in the Republic of Congo.
Projects
Throughout 2023, the Beyond Cotton team organised eight missions to African countries that directly benefited more than 670 people. The aim of the missions was to monitor and evaluate the project’s activities being carried out by the teams, as well as to promote capacity building for farmers and technicians in Benin, Tanzania and Mozambique.
In 2023, the Nurture the Future Project team completed a Policy Brief called “Tackling the multiple burden of malnutrition”, worked strategically on the participation of a Brazilian delegation in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and finalised a video on tackling the multiple burden of malnutrition.
Partnerships
Eradicating hunger and combating food insecurity, which affects the lives of more than 800 million people around the world, requires collaboration. The WFP is engaged in partnership with various collaborators, such as governments, the private sector, United Nations agencies, international financial institutions, researchers, non-governmental organisations and other segments of civil society, to achieve the goal of zero hunger.
The year 2023 was marked by Rita Lobo ‘s appointment as WFP’s High-Level Supporter to help amplify the debates on adequate and healthy diets, how to reduce food waste and avoid the consumption of ultra-processed foods. Another important partnership was established with the Fome de Tudo Association to support school feeding in Latin America and the Caribbean.
To find out more about the actions and results achieved by the Centre of Excellence, access the 2023 Annual Report here.