FAO Brussels Director Al-Khafaji highlights systemic approach at School Meals Coalition Summit in Paris

FAO Brussels Director Raschad Al-Khafaji highlighted the importance of a systemic approach and FAO’s extensive work of two decades in promoting healthy school meals at the inaugural School Meals Coalition Global Summit held in Paris, France on 18 and 19 October. 

The Summit, attended by leaders from Member States and partner organizations, focused on showcasing new commitments from member countries and the welcoming of new members into the coalition.

The event was opened by Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, French Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships and saw H.E. Xiaomara Castro, President of Honduras, and Cindy McCain, Executive Director of WFP give opening remarks. 

Heading the FAO Delegation, Al-Khafaji participated in a panel discussion titled "The Coalition’s Initiatives: How do they work and what can they do for governments." 

The panel featured a number of speakers, including H.E. Dr. Hang Chuon Naron, Minister of Education, Youth and Sport, Cambodia; H.E. Claudette Irere, Minister of State for Education, Rwanda; Prof. Donald Bundy, Director of the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, and Afshan Khan, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement.

During the session, the panellists delved into the transformative initiatives of the Coalition, providing detailed insights into how these initiatives support governments in achieving their goals. 

In his intervention, Al-Khafaji alluded to a global study conducted by FAO in 2019 with 33 low- and middle-income countries that confirmed the absence of a clear and validated methodology to establish nutrition standards for school meals. He added that in response to this, FAO and WFP, supported by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture were developing a step-by-step methodology on how to use data about what schoolchildren and adolescents in a country or region eat and their main nutrition vulnerabilities. Combining this with evidence on diet-health relationships to make decisions on what school meals should provide within a specific context. 
The discussion also highlighted practical examples of countries leveraging these initiatives to advance their objectives.

The Summit concluded with leaders from various organizations endorsing a joint statement. Countries advocated for using school meals as levers for food system transformation towards sustainability. This commitment will continue to be a focal point of discussion at Dubai’s COP28 at the end of the year. 

As a new co-chair, together with France and Finland, Brazil will host the second Summit of the Coalition in 2024.

Learn more about FAO’s work on School food and nutrition here.