The Global Child Nutrition Forum

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 developing countries for four 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.

Organized by Global Child Nutrition Foundation, 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, challenges, and options to sustainably support nutritious, home-grown school meal programs. It is hosted in a different country each year, affording participants the opportunity to visit local schools and see one another’s programs in action.

Past Forums have taken place in the U.S., Benin, Tunisia, Canada, Cambodia, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Brazil, and Cabo Verde. Upon returning home, participants serve as resources in their countries and often for neighboring countries developing school feeding programs.

2022 Forum – Cotonou, Benin

The Government of the Republic of Benin, Global Child Nutrition Foundation, Catholic Relief Services, and the United Nations World Food Programme held the 23rd Annual Global Child Nutrition Forum in Cotonou, Benin from 24 through 27 October 2022.

244 school meal leaders with backgrounds in government, NGOs, academic, policy making and business gathered together for plenary sessions, technical workshops, school visits, and cultural activities. 44 different countries were represented at the 2022 Forum.

2022 Forum Resources

2021 Forum – Community Partner Events

Around the world, child nutrition champions stepped up to advocate for school meal programs that ensure children, their families, and their communities thrive. Never before have there been so many opportunities to support, learn about, build, and improve school meal programs.

In support of the many important conversations, webinars, meetings, and events planned for the school feeding network in 2021, GCNF did not host a Virtual Global Child Nutrition Forum. Instead, we strongly encouraged our Forum community to join us at our community partner events.

2020 Forum – Virtual Conference

In light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the 22nd Annual Global Child Nutrition Forum was held virtually in a series of related events from 26 October through 12 November 2020.

2020 Forum Resources

2019 Forum – Siem Reap, Cambodia

The 21st Annual Global Child Nutrition Forum took place December 2-6, 2019 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Organized annually by the Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Centre of Excellence against Hunger, for the first time in its history, the Forum was held in the Southeast Asia region, which was made possible thanks to the Kingdom of Cambodia Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport, serving as the host organization.

This five-day event brought together 357 leaders representing 70 countries, hailing from the political, humanitarian, community and institutional realms.

2019 Forum Resources

2018 Forum – Tunis, Tunisia

The 20th Annual Global Child Nutrition Forum took place October 21-25, 2018 in Tunis, Tunisia. The 2018 Forum theme was National School Meal Programs for Food and Nutrition Security and Multiple Social Benefits.

Organized annually by the Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Centre of Excellence against Hunger, for the first time in its history, the Forum was held in the Middle East North Africa region, which was made possible thanks to the Government of the Republic of Tunisia, serving as the host organization, and the WFP Tunisia Country Office supporting the organization of the event.

This five-day event brought together 363 leaders, including 197 women, representing 61 countries, hailing from the political, humanitarian, community and institutional realms.

2018 Forum Resources

2017 Forum – Montréal, Canada

The 19th Annual Global Child Nutrition Forum took place September 17-21, 2017 in Montréal, Canada. The 2017 Forum theme was Bridge to Sustainable Development through School Meal Programs: Engaging Local, National, Regional, and Global Communities.

Organized annually by the Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Centre of Excellence against Hunger, for the first time in its history, the Forum was held on Canadian soil, which was made possible thanks to the Breakfast Club of Canada, serving as the host organization.

This five-day event brought together nearly 300 leaders, representing 59 countries, hailing from the political, humanitarian, community and institutional realms.

2017 Forum Resources

2016 Forum - Yerevan, Armenia

The 18th Annual Global Child Nutrition Forum, organized by the Global Child Nutrition Foundation and World Food Programme Centre of Excellence against Hunger in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Armenia, brought representatives from 45 countries together in Yerevan, Armenia under the theme, Building Powerful and Durable National School Meal Programmes.

This five-day event gathered over 240 school meal supporters to meet and discuss ways to improve school meal programs. The Forum highlighted opportunities to build the investment case and political support needed to ensure that programs thrive over time. As the largest school feeding meeting in the world, the Forum provides a space for school practitioners, governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations to find new ways of learning from, understanding, and working with each other to build sustainable, durable national school meal programs.

2015 Forum - Sal Island, Cabo Verde

The 17th Annual Global Child Nutrition Forum occurred from September 28 to October 2 on Sal Island, Cabo Verde. Organized by the Global Child Nutrition Foundation and the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger and hosted by the Cabo Verdean Foundation for Social and School Action (FICASE) and Cabo Verde’s Ministry of Education and Sports.

43 countries were represented across the 256 participants. The 2015 Forum theme was Innovative Financing for Nutrition-Based School Feeding Programs, selected due to 2014 Forum participant interest in more in-depth conversation about the topic.

Read the 2015 Forum Executive Summary