Highlights from the 24th edition of the Global Child Nutrition Forum
Blog by Emily Fredenberg, GCNF Senior Program Officer
Government leaders played a central role throughout the Forum, from the Opening Ceremony, featuring addresses by Hon. Umemura Mizuho, Member of the House of Councilors, Japan, and Mr. Kashihara Tetsuya, Director, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Japan, through multiple plenary sessions featuring officials of some 25 governments.
With topics ranging from “Domestic Financing” to “School Meals on the Global Agenda”, governments and partners highlighted actionable strategies to their peers and colleagues.
Japan was selected to host the Forum due to its exceptional school meal program. Forum participants were given the opportunity to see Japan’s program in action and learn more about its unique approach to nutrition education known as Shokuiku, which blends health, culture, and sustainability to nurture lifelong healthy habits. These site visits served as a powerful demonstration of well-structured school meal programs, inspiring leaders from around the world.
Japan was selected to host the Forum due to its exceptional school meal program. Forum participants were given the opportunity to see Japan’s program in action and learn more about its unique approach to nutrition education known as Shokuiku, which blends health, culture, and sustainability to nurture lifelong healthy habits. These site visits served as a powerful demonstration of well-structured school meal programs, inspiring leaders from around the world.
The Forum developed and ratified a communiqué through a participatory process, outline the priorities of participants. This document serves as a rallying point for school meal program advocacy and policy around the world and aims to support the objectives of the School Meals Coalition (SMC) and the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit. The communiqué will soon be available in Arabic, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish on GCNF’s website here.
This year’s Forum was organized in cooperation with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA); the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT); the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF); the School Meals Coalition; and International Child Nutrition Japan (ICNJ). The Forum was made possible thanks to the generous support of The Rockefeller Foundation, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), Ajinomoto, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Food 4 Education, The Foundation for Fresh Produce, Nakanishi, World Vision, and other partners.
A full Forum report including photos and presentations will be available in early 2025. Stay tuned for the next Global Child Nutrition Forum which will be held in 2026!
Photo credit, Kenichiro Takamatsu, property of the Global Child Nutrition Foundation.
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