09:00 – 10:45 High-level Segment and welcoming new members to the Coalition

Following a high-level segment with the President of the Republic of France, the President of the Republic of Honduras and the Executive Director of the World Food Programme, the Co-chairs of the Coalition will welcome the new members that are present at the Summit. This segment will end with a dialogue on the importance of leadership to advance the goals of the Coalition.

Moderator:
George Fominyen, Master of Ceremony

Speakers:

• H.E. Xiomara Castro, President of the Republic of Honduras
• H.E. Crysoula Zacharopoulou, Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnership
• H.E. Ville Tavio, Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade
• H.E. Maria Laura da Rocha, Ambassador and Secretary-General of Foreign Affairs, Brazil
• Ms. Cindy McCain, Executive Director, WFP
• H.E. Henry Ori, Minister of Education, Science and Culture, Suriname
• H.E. Curtis King, Minister of Education and National Reconciliation, Saint Vincent and Grenadines
• Mr. Ihor Kuzin, Deputy Minister of Health, Ukraine
• H.E. Eduards Stiprais, Ambassador of Latvia to France
• H.E. Ulambayar Nyamkhuu, Ambassador of Mongolia to France
• Dr. Ammar Abdo Ahmed, Manager Economic & Social Infrastructure, Islamic Development Bank
• Ms. Rita Almeida, Manager of the World Bank’s Education Global Practice in Europe and Central Asia
• Ms. Carmen Burbano, Director of School Meals Division World Food Programme and the
  Secretariat of the Coalition
• Ms. Adanech Abiebie, Mayor of Addis-Abeba

11:15 – 12:45 From Pledges into Progress: National Commitments in Action

Showcasing new national commitments and remarkable achievements of Coalition Members.

This session aims at showcasing remarkable progress towards the Coalition’s objectives, through national commitments as guiding instruments. Speakers will describe their strategies to advance on national commitments in several focus areas in their respective contexts, outline success achieved so far and share their ambitions for the future. Several countries will also announce fresh national commitments. The main principle of the Coalition and the reason for its success is the focus on country action. Indeed, without it, there is nothing. Without political will, investment and implementation in each country that is member of the Coalition, there is no hope of progress.

Moderator:
H.E. Mr Ville Tavio, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development of Finland

Speakers:

• H.E. Mrs. Mariam Almheiri, Minister of Climate and Development of the United Arab Emirates
• H.E. Dr. Musa Mohammed Almagrif, Minister of Education of Libya
• H.E Mrs. Nura Mustaf Mukhtar, State Minister of Education of Somalia
• H.E. Mrs. Awut Deng Acuil, Minister of Education of South Sudan
• Mr. Hosaka Yasushi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan
• H.E. Mr. Susil Premajayantha, Minister of Education of Sri Lanka
• Mr. Artur Martirosyan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia
• Mr. Dilshod Safarzoda, Deputy Minister of Education of Tajikistan
• Dr. Jean Bosco Girukwishaka, Permanent Executive Secretary of the Office of the First Lady of Burundi
• Mr. Christian Ginter, Director of Infrastructure at the Ministry of Education of Luxembourg
• Mrs. Hilda Khouri, Director of Counselling of the Ministry of Education of Lebanon

14:15 – 15:15 From Global to Regional: The Coalition and its emerging regional Networks

Discovering the dynamics of regional school meal conversations, the priorities at the regional level and how these emerging networks facilitate peer-to-peer knowledge exchange.

This session aims at outlining regional visions for school feeding and demonstrating the results of regional initiatives and networks as catalyzers for contextualized action and peer-to-peer knowledge exchange. 2023 has been a year of materializing regional ambitions for school feeding around the world, and several regional meetings have allowed countries align and share experiences on school meals. Conveners of these regional meetings will share emerging priorities and next steps for each region, and countries and regional bodies will share their vision for school meals in the future.

Moderator:
H.E. Mr. Jose Carlos Cardona Erazo, Minister of Social Development, Honduras.

Speakers:

• Mrs. Fernanda Pacobahyba, Vice-Minister of Education and President of the National Fund for Educational Development, Brazil
• H. E. Prof. Mohamed Belhocine, Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation of the African Union
• Prof. Professor Fatou Sow Sarr, ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs and Gender
• H.E. Mrs. Claudette Irere, State Minister for Education, Rwanda
• H.E. Mr. Antoine Lekpa Gbegbeni, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, Togo
• H.E. Dr. Gasco Gonzalo, High Commissioner against Child Poverty of Spain
• H.E. Betta Edu, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Nigeria

15:45 – 16:45 Closing the Funding Gap: Innovative Funding Solutions for School Meals

Addressing the issue of sustainable and innovative financing for school feeding and providing concrete examples of financing mechanisms for school meals by partners and countries.

This session will explore how governments might draw on a range of innovative financing options, building on current initiatives and the increasing interest of international finance institutions. Looking beyond more efficient and equitable taxation and public spending, this session will explore options including:

• Debt swaps
• Leveraging through the multilateral development system
• Impact investing

The session will highlight possible avenues for the way forward, focusing on the big question: what will it take to achieve a global breakthrough on financing for school meal provision in low-income countries by 2030?

Moderator:

Under-Secretary-General Cristina Duarte, Special Adviser on Africa to the United Nations Secretary-General

Speakers:

• Dr. Liesbet Steer, President and CEO, Education Development Center
• H.E. Salimane Karimou, Minister of Pre-Primary and Primary Education of Benin
• Dr. Ammar Abdo Ahmed, Manager Human Development, Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)
• Mr Ferdinando Regalia, Social Sector Manager, Inter-American Development Bank
• H.E. Mr. Nesmy Manigat, Minister of Education and Vocational Training of Haiti
• Ms Laura Frigenti, CEO, Global Partnership for Education (GPE)
• H.E. Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer and Vice-Chairman, Dubai Cares

16:45 – 17:30 Beyond Lunch: School meals for a more equal and inclusive future

Exploring concrete examples that showcase how investments in school meals not only nourish young minds but also serve as powerful tools in advancing more equal and inclusive education and societies.

Investments in human capital are among the most effective that countries can make for their future. This session showcases how countries and partners invest in the well-being and development of children through school meals as a key component of school health and nutrition strategies, to advance more equal and inclusive education and societies. The session features some of the most important multi-year partners in school feeding, multilaterals, United Nations agencies and countries where multi-year school meals programmes are an important conduit for the careful planning required to establish effective programmes, both in stable and conflict-affected contexts where a school meal often determines whether children go to school or not, particularly girls. Panellists will showcase intentional efforts to design programmes that incentivize families to send girls to school and help them stay there longer, reducing the risk of child marriage, early pregnancies, and gender-based violence.

Moderator:
Ms. Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director, Education Cannot Wait

Speakers:

• H.E. Ms. Isabel Maria Correia Viegas de Abreu, Minister of Education, Culture and Science. São Tomé and Príncipe
• H.E. Dr. Dulce Soares, Minister of Education, Timor-Leste
• Mr. Ihor Kuzin, Deputy Minister of Health, Ukraine
• H.E. Mr. Jean-Luc Mouthou, Minister of Preschool, Primary, Secondary Education and Literacy, Republic of Congo
• Ms. Alexis Taylor, Under Secretary of Agriculture, United States of America
• Mr. Robert Jenkins, Director, Education and Adolescent Development, UNICEF

09:00 – 10:15 School meals, a lever for food systems transformation and environmental and climate sustainability

Announcing bold commitments and progress of country champions and non-state partners in rolling out planet -friendly school meal approaches and providing the newest evidence on how school meals can drive climate action – both of which feed into COP28.

This plenary session will illuminate the pivotal role that school meal programmes can play in driving climate action to promote nutrition, education and learning outcomes for children and provide a platform for food systems transformation. It will be based on the preliminary findings of an analysis that has been done over the last year by the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition – an initiative of the Coalition – to understand how school meal programmes can drive systemic change. It will also showcase the countries that are already implementing systemic and planet-friendly approaches, who in turn will share their own experiences, best practices and recommendations. This session will help illustrate how research is feeding into policy adoption, which in turn is feeding into more political will for practical, scalable solutions on the world stage and how all these actions will feed into plans for COP28.

Moderator:
Ms. Valerie Guarnieri, Assistant Executive Director of World Food Programme

Speakers:

• Prof. Donald Bundy, Director of the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition
• H.E. Sakaja Arthur Johnson, Governor of Nairobi City County, Kenya
• H.E. Ms. Anna Nghipondoka, Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture of Namibia
• Mr. Johan Krafft, Director-General, Department of Rural Affairs, Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure, Sweden
• Dr. Roy Steiner, Vice President Rockefeller Foundation
• Ms Gérardine Mukeshimana, Vice-President, IFAD
• Ms. Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director General for Education, UNESCO
• Ms. Marjeta Jager, Deputy Director-General, DG for International Partnerships, European Commission
• Mr. Martin Hoppe, Deputy Director General (acting), Sustainable supply chains, agricultural and food systems Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

10:40 – 11:25 Localizing school meals: a new initiative led by local governments

Launching a new initiative led by municipalities and highlighting the crucial role of local governments in school meals, including innovation and experimentation with new approaches on food system transformation.

Local governments, such as Municipalities, have a critical role in managing and administrating most of the global population, and their key function will continue to expand in the coming years; by 2050, more than 50% of the entire population will live in urban areas.

School meal programmes represent a strategic infrastructure of the urban food systems; their synergetic management can positively impact citizens’ wellness regarding social protection, education, health, and gender equality. In the majority of cases, school canteens are managed at the Municipality level within the local budget; cities are responsible for adopting and implementing national frameworks and guidelines and managing the service.

This session is dedicated to highlighting the successful stories of 5 different Municipalities from different regions in managing and improving school meal programmes, stressing how these programmes can directly impact not only schoolchildren participating in them but the entire community involved in managing and providing goods.

These examples can set the path for new collaborations and strengthen the involvement of cities and mayors in the work of the School Meals Coalition.

Moderator:

Filippo Gavazzeni, Head of Secretariat of Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP)

Speakers:

• H.E. Hon. Sakaja Arthur Johnson, Governor of the city of Nairobi, Kenya
• Mr. Jakob Næsager, Mayor city of Copenhagen, Denmark
• Dr. Zelalem Mulatu, Deputy Mayor and head of the Education Bureau city of Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia
• Ms. Anna Scavuzzo, Deputy Mayor, Milan, Italy
• Ms. Marie Massart, Deputy Mayor, Montpellier, France

11:25 – 12:15 Breaking new ground as the Coalition evolves

Providing an overview of upcoming activities and efforts developed by different partners to support government action and link to other coalitions

The first two years of the Coalition helped solidify its unique multisectoral model and strong base of government support, a critical component given the importance of government ownership on the school meals agenda. Different constituencies play key roles in supporting governments in scaling and improving the impact of school meal programmes. The Coalition is well-positioned to be a platform for new partnerships and this session will highlight new upcoming activities/initiatives/toolkits that partners and member states are working on to drive the work of the Coalition further.

The session will showcase the leadership of different stakeholders to champion school meals within their constituencies and connecting their work with the overall goals of the Coalition.

Moderator:

Joseph Nhan O’Reilly, Executive Director, Interparliamentary Network for Education – IPNEd

Speakers:

• Ms. Kathleen A. Sherwin, Chief Strategy and Engagement Officer, Plan International
• Mr. Andrew Morley, CEO World Vision International
• Ms. Neema K. Lugangira, Member of Parliament of Tanzania
• Mr. Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, Member of Parliament of Ghana
• Heidi Kessler, Executive Director, Global Child Nutrition Fund
• Prof. Philippe Douste-Blazy, President UNITLIFE

13:15 – 15:00 The Coalition’s Initiatives: How do they work and what can they do for governments

Introducing the Coalition’s transformative initiatives which will provide a deep dive into each initiative, how they support governments in achieving their goals and how to engage with them. It will be an opportunity to share examples of how countries have been able to leverage the initiatives to advance their own goals and objectives.

The Coalition focuses on driving country action and therefore in helping governments unlocking bottlenecks to keep growing and improving their programmes. Some of the challenges that were identified by governments to achieve their goals are:

• The need for country specific research and evidence that can help better policy decision making around school meals.
• The need for more innovative ways of financing to ensure national budgets are integrated and sustainable.
• The need for a global database that helps keep track of the status of programmes across the globe.
• The need for exchange among peers to learn from other countries and share experiences.
• The need for concrete technical support in terms of nutrition, linking to smallholder farmers, linking with climate action, etc.

Out of these identified bottlenecks, initiatives were established by partners to coordinate around important areas and drive progress quickly. Member States have been engaging very actively with some of these initiatives and benefitting from their support. Particularly the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition and the Sustainable Financing Initiative have been engaging actively with member states and supporting development of country case studies, value for money studies, financing plans, and other.

This session will provide an overview of the services and the support that is available through some of these initiatives and showcase how member states can best utilize them.

Moderator:
Carmen Burbano, School Meals Coalition Secretariat

Speakers:

• Prof. Donald Bundy, Director of the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition
• Dr. Liesbet Steer, Lead of the Sustainable Financing Initiative
• H.E. Dr. Hang Chuon Naron, Minister of. Education, Youth and Sport, Cambodia
• H.E. Seydou Cisse, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Rome-based UN Agencies, Cote d’Ivoire
• H.E. Claudette Irere, Minister of State for Education, Rwanda
• Ms. Afshan Khan, UN Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) and Coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement
• Mr Raschad Al-Khafaji, Director of the FAO Liaison Office with the European Union and Belgium
• Mr. Robert Akparibo, Chair of the Consortium’s Nutrition Measurement Community of Practice
• Prof. Sylvie Avallone, L’Institut Agro Montpellier and co-Chair of the Good Examples Community of Practice
• Mr. Stéphane Verguet, Associate Professor of Global Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and co-Chair of the Analytics & Metrics Community of Practice

15:00 – 15:30 Concluding session

Culminating the meeting by revisiting the impactful deliverables and commitments made throughout the two days and presenting the outcome document, solidifying our collective vision for action and progress.

Moderator:

George Fominyen, Master of Ceremony

Speakers:

• Ms. Fernanda Macedo Pacobahyba, Vice Minister of Education and President of the National Fund for Educational Development, Brazil
• Mr. Francisco Antonio Meza Duran, General Directorat for Food and Community Development, National System for Family Integral Development (SNDIF)
• Dr. Dexter A. Galban, Assistant Secretary for Operations, Department of Education of the Philippines
• Ms. Valerie Guarnieri, Assistant Executive Director, World Food Programme
• Ms. Titta Maja, Director General for Development Policy, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
• H.E. Celine Jurgensen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of France to the Rome-based UN Agencies