Forum Agenda

The 2026 Global Child Nutrition Forum agenda is currently in development. Check below for a preview of workshop topics and themes, and return here during the Forum in November for the latest agenda.

2026 Global Child Nutrition Forum Tentative Program

Key Dates & Schedule at a Glance

Participants are suggested to arrive on Sunday, November 1, 2026 and depart on Friday, November 6, 2026. The Forum is held from 8am Monday, November 2 through 10pm Thursday, November 5th in Lusaka, Zambia.

What to Expect

Monday, November 2 | Event Check-In, Opening Ceremony, Exhibits, Plenary Panels, Technical Workshops, Headline Research Poster Reception

Tuesday, November 3 | Exhibits, Plenary Panels, Technical Workshops

Wednesday, November 4 | Exhibits, Plenary Panels, Technical Workshops, Field Trip School Visit Preparation

Thursday, November 5 | Plenary Panels, Field Trip School Visit, Communiqué Ratification, Closing Ceremony, Gala Dinner

Forum Program Elements

Across four days, the Forum will combine plenary discussions, technical workshops, peer learning, research, school visits, and networking opportunities.

Plenary Panels: Plenary panels will bring participants together to explore major issues shaping the future of school meal programs and highlight country experiences, evidence, partnerships, and opportunities for action.

• - Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Global Child Nutrition Forum
• - Announcement of government delegations and partners; Forum orientation
• - Evidence for Action: Acting on Evidence for Scalable, Cross‑Sector School Meal Programs
• - Proteins for Scalable, Healthy School Meals
• - Navigating the Trust Deficit Between the Public and Private Sectors
• - School Food and Education in Crisis and Displacement Situations
• - Sustainable Financing in School Meal Programs
• - Zambia’s Home Grown School Feeding Programme
• - Healthy School Food Environments
• - Ratification of the Communiqué
• - Closing Ceremony of the 2026 Global Child Nutrition Forum

Technical Workshops: Designed to strengthen government capacity by ensuring access to practical tools, peer exchange, and technical knowledge.

• - Casting a Wider Net: Global Innovations for Including Aquatic Foods in School Meals
• - Strengthening climate-resilient, inclusive local procurement pathways between smallholder farmers and school meal programs in Africa
• - From Voice to Action: Empowering Young People to Improve School Food Systems
• - Interministerial coordination
• - From Vision to Action: Culturally Grounded Food and Nutrition Education for Planetary Health through Dynamic School Meals
• - Delivering More Nutrition for Less: Cost-Effective School Meal Models in Fragile and Displacement Settings
• - Home-grown school feeding & local procurement
• - Making Fish Work in School Meals: From Policy Ambition to Practical Implementation
• - Responsible private sector engagement
• - Evidence Priorities for Improved Action in School Meal Programs
• - Designing Community Engagement in School Feeding: Pathways to Equity, Ownership, Quality and Sustainability
• - Sustainable financing
• - Feeding Children, Fueling Economies: Leveraging School Meals to drive Local Jobs, Markets and Inclusive Growth
• - Public food procurement
• - Towards country-led institutionalization of national WASH in Schools and school meals programing - using the enabling environment matrix

Field Trip: Participants will have the opportunity to visit a school meal program site and see Zambia’s Home-Grown School Feeding Programme in action, connecting Forum discussions to on-the-ground implementation.

Headline Research Poster Session: The Headline Research Poster Reception will highlight research and emerging evidence relevant to school meal programs around the world and provide an informal opportunity for participants to connect with researchers.

International School Meals Celebration: Gala Dinner: The Forum will conclude with an International School Meals Celebration Gala Dinner hosted by the Government of Zambia.