School meals are one of the most widespread social programs in the world — and they’re expanding fast. In 2022, 418 million children received school meals around the world — an increase of 30 million since early 2020, according to the World Food Programme. Over that period, global investment in school meals increased by $5 billion. From Indonesia’s launch of what could become one of the world’s largest programs to Brazil’s internationally renowned model for feeding millions, governments are making big investments. Several countries have set out strategies for achieving universal coverage, and philanthropic commitments — such as The Rockefeller Foundation’s $100 million pledge earlier this year — are adding momentum.
But while international donors and NGOs play a role, governments lead the way in funding and delivering school meals. That leadership, said Carmen Burbano de Lara, director of the School Meals Coalition, whose secretariat and coordinating body is WFP, has made this a rare bright spot in global development — one she called “probably the most important development success story in recent years.”
Launched at the 2021 U.N. Food Systems Summit, the coalition now includes 109 countries and 140 partners, working to restore programs disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, reach the most vulnerable children, and improve the quality of lunches by 2030. Devex caught up with Burbano de Lara on the sidelines of U.N. Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktake, or UNFSS+4, in Addis Ababa in July to discuss progress, financing innovations, and how countries are working together.
About the author
Ayenat Mersie
Ayenat Mersie is a Global Development Reporter for Devex. Previously, she worked as a freelance journalist for publications such as National Geographic and Foreign Policy and as an East Africa correspondent for Reuters.
