Brasília, October 25, 2021. The international event 'Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES): Advances and Commitments in Latin America and the Caribbean' will launch the RAES virtual platform (www.redraes.org), which will facilitate the exchange of information, experiences and interaction, and the dissemination of news, events, best practices, activities, courses, videos, documents and other strategic materials for the strengthening of the school feeding policy at the regional level. The virtual event will be held on November 10, at 11:00 am (Chile and Brazil time), with simultaneous translation into English and Spanish, and live broadcast on the social networks YouTube UNFAO and Twitter FAOBrasilCoop. 

The seminar is organized by the Government of Brazil, through the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC/MRE) and the National Fund for the Development of Education (FNDE/MEC), with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The event will also be a milestone to reinforce the Brazilian government's commitment to continue supporting the countries of the region in strengthening their school feeding programs as a public policy responsible for guaranteeing the human right to food for at least 85 million people. 

The seminar will have the participation of authorities, managers and technicians from different countries in the region. It seeks to consolidate the RAES as a support instrument in the construction of an alliance among the participants for the execution of joint actions and the elaboration of a coordinated strategy for the strengthening school feeding programs in the region, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, the RAES Network has the participation of 21 of the 33 LAC countries in its activities.

A Network for school feeding

The RAES Network was created in 2018 by the Government of Brazil, with the support of FAO, to strengthen the capacities of managers and promote the exchange of experiences on school feeding programs among countries in the region. Since its first meeting, the Network has been carrying out various activities with the participating countries: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Bahamas, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Granada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The creation of the Network took into account the vast experience of Brazil in the subject of school feeding, a country whose program has a wide coverage, benefiting, daily and universally, 41 million students. It also considered the experience of international technical cooperation for more than ten years of the project Consolidation of School Feeding Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean, as part of the actions of the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation Program.