On 18 and 19 September, the city of Fortaleza will host the 2nd Global Summit of the School Meals Coalition, the largest international meeting dedicated to advancing school feeding programmes around the world. The event will bring together 80 governments, over 40 represented at Ministerial level, and around 60 partners to discuss strategies and make commitments to expand and improve school meal initiatives.
Hosted by the Government of Brazil, through the Ministry of Education (MEC) and the National Fund for Education Development (FNDE), the Summit is held in partnership with the Coalition Secretariat, hosted by the WFP.
Created in 2021, the School Meals Coalition brings together more than 100 countries and over 140 partners around the common goal of ensuring healthy and nutritious meals for children and young people during the school year. The first Global Summit was held in Paris in 2023, when Brazil assumed the co-chairmanship of the Coalition, alongside France and Finland.
A global benchmark, the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE) from Brazil provides nearly 40 million meals daily in more than 150,000 public schools, with an annual investment of R$ 5.5 billion. In addition to meeting nutritional needs, the programme strengthens learning, reduces school dropout rates and promotes healthy eating habits among children and adolescents.
The Brazilian experience also stands out in international cooperation. The WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger in Brazil, created in 2011 through a partnership between the WFP and the Brazilian government, promotes the exchange of experiences between countries and supports governments in the development of school feeding programmes linked to family farming.
The Fortaleza Summit will also be an opportunity to assess progress since the first Global Summit and mobilise new actions with the goal of reaching 150 million children worldwide, in line with the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. Among the topics under discussion are sustainable financing, innovation in food systems, the role of cities and international cooperation.
See the full schedule and information about the 2nd Global Summit of School Meals Coalition.