The Global Child Nutrition Forum is a learning exchange and technical assistance conference held annually to support countries in the development and implementation of sustainable school feeding programs. Since 1997, the annual Global Child Nutrition Forum has united leaders from countries around the world for five days of intensive training, technical assistance, and planning, all directed toward establishing country-operated sustainable school feeding programs. By sharing their insights, experiences, and challenges, an informal worldwide alliance of leaders dedicated to advancing school feeding has evolved. As a result, the Forum has become a global catalyst for school feeding development.
Why Join With Us?
Every year, the Forum brings together those interested in school feeding and child nutrition programs, including representatives of government offices, companies, international organizations, NGOs, academic institutions, and many others. The Forum encourages open dialogue and the sharing of experiences, best practices, lessons learned, challenges, and options to sustainably support nutritious home-grown school meal programs.
Soha Moussa
World Food Programme Lebanon
Why Should I Attend the GCNForum?
The Global Child Nutrition Forum is the largest international conference on school meals in the world. The Forum is a rare opportunity to share your experience with school meal programs – including successes and challenges – and to learn what others are doing. The Forum provides the opportunity to interact with experts from around the world, see other school meal programs in action, share your programs and products, and more.
Government Representatives
We particularly encourage participation of government representatives from the sectors which gain the most benefit from investing in nutritious, locally-sourced school meal programs: Education, Agriculture, Finance, Health, Industry and Trade, and Budget and Planning. Government representatives will benefit from plenary programs designed specifically to help them in their task of building durable, nutritious national programs; workshops to build understanding, introduce tools and approaches, and develop capacity; networking opportunities with technical experts, donors, private sector players, and representatives of other countries; and the chance to hold regional and bilateral meetings throughout the Forum.
Businesses
The Forum helps to facilitate healthy and sustainable relationships between national governments operating school meal programs and the private sector. Multinational, regional, and national companies of all sizes are welcome to attend. The Forum offers opportunities to exhibit your services and products at a dedicated booth in the Market Place as well as to participate in workshops and sessions designed to facilitate greater communication and exchange of ideas between the public and private sector actors directly concerned with school meal programs and related matters.
International Organizations & UN Agencies
Multilateral organizations have the opportunity to interact with a broad range of partner governments in one place at the Forum, and to connect with other partner organizations and institutions involved in school meal programs and related matters. The Forum provides the space and time for meetings, networking, and planning with government representatives and other important partners.
NGOs & Academic Institutions
Non-governmental, nonprofit, and academic organizations are able to connect with existing stakeholders involved in school meal programs and related matters and to forge new relationships with governments, businesses and other NGOs. The plenary sessions and workshops feature cutting-edge innovations and news in the global school meals landscape- a one-stop shop to get the latest resources and news you need.