PANAMA CITY, Panama (CMC) – Four Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have been included in the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES) that aims to support countries in implementing and consolidating their school feeding and nutrition programmes.

Belize, St Lucia, St Kitts-Nevis and Suriname are among 17 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean included in the programme, created by the Brazilian government in collaboration with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The other countries in the project are Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Ecuador, Honduras, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay that  collectively represent approximately 81 million students.

RAES seeks to provide a space for dialogue among policymakers and technical experts on solutions and innovations needed in the region. It also offers technical assistance to support countries in the implementation and improvement of their programs, contributing to the promotion of the human right to adequate food.

This initiative, part of the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation Programme, was established in 2018 and is the result of collaboration dating back to 2009 between the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE) and the National Fund for the Development of Education (FNDE) of the Ministry of Education (MEC), with the support of the FAO, which acts as the network’s executive secretariat.

As part of their membership in RAES, member countries signed a declaration to advance school feeding policies and programmes. They also aim to work together in the medium and long term to expand student coverage, improve school infrastructure, develop regulations, strengthen links with family farming, implement food and nutrition education initiatives, and increase the budget allocated to these programmes.

FAO Deputy Director-General, Mario Lubetkin, said that “promoting more resilient, inclusive, high-quality, and sustainable school feeding programs has an extraordinary impact on communities in economic, social, educational, and environmental terms”.

He said RAES would facilitate joint efforts and propose shared solutions to improve school feeding and nutrition programs, promoting healthy, nutritious, and accessible diets for all.

ABC Director Ambassador, Ruy Pereira, said the RAES network plays a strategic role in advancing cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean

“The strengthening and expansion of these programs is widely recognized as an extremely valuable and effective tool in the fight against hunger and poverty,” said the ambassador, who called on “more countries in the region to join RAES.”

FNDE President, Fernanda Pacobahyba, highlighted the importance of continued cooperation and the RAES network to “keep supporting and empowering technical experts and policymakers in our countries to build viable solutions, advance the development of regulatory frameworks, and ensure the sustainability of school feeding programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean.”