Commemoration of the 3rd African Day of School Feeding

INTRODUCTION
The African Union commemorated the 3^rd African Day of School Feeding (ADSF) on 1^st March 2018 at Glen View 2 Primary School in Harare, Zimbabwe, under the patronage of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe; as established by the AU Assembly Decision 589 XXVI. School Feeding contributes to attainment of Agenda 2063 by helping families to ensure that all children including girls are able to access education from early childhood to completion of secondary level, and that the children have adequate nutrition and zero hunger, while supporting local food production. This year’s theme was “Realizing the African Child’s Full Potential through Effective Home Grown School Feeding”.  Thirty-two Member States were represented including seven Ministers and Deputy Ministers.

The event received substantial support from the Host Government, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and UNESCO-International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (UNESCO-IICBA), the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and private sector.

The Ceremony was officially opened by the Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Honourable K.C.D. Mohadi. Other speakers during the ceremony were the AU Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology, Her Excellency Professor Sarah Anyang Agbor, the Zimbabwean Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Honourable Professor Paul Mavima; the WFP Director of Policy and Programmes representing WFP Executive Director, the United Nations Agencies in Zimbabwe, Mr. Stanlake Samkange; and the Director of the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger, Mr. Daniel Balaban.

1000 participants from 32 Countries, stakeholder institutions, UN Agencies, including pupils, teachers, support staff and parents from selected schools, private sector, were in attendance.

The Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe highlighted the importance of Home Grown School Feeding by stating that it increases attendance, enrolment and the performance of learners, and as such School Feeding should be embraced by all schools.

The AU Study on Sustainable School Feeding in African Union was launched by the Vice President, with the support of AUC-HRST Commissioner appreciating the sponsorship and technical support of WFP and its Centre for Excellence Against Hunger in Brazil. Copies were distributed to participants.

The ADSF ceremony was preceded by two meetings, which took place at the Rainbow Towers Hotel on 27^th and 28^th February 2018, namely; the African Union School Feeding Cluster meeting and the 4^th Annual Continental Workshop on Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF), which included a Ministerial Panel Session.

The Minister of Technical and Vocational Education of Côte d`Ivoire committed herself to hosting the commemoration of the fourth African Day of School Feeding in their country in 2019.

The following are the outcomes of the meeting:

KEY MESSAGES

The 3^rd African Day of School Feeding celebration recognizes that:

1. A multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder approach in implementing School Feeding is a key requirement of an effective HGSF.

2. Country specific contexts need to be taken into account in HGSF interventions, in determining such factors such as the types of food and funding structure. In this regard, country ownership is critical for sustaining School Feeding Programmes.

3. The role of women especially in the agricultural value chains, is important to consider in every school feeding project.

4. Public-Private Partnership is useful for a successful HGSF.

5. Land availability for use is important in implementing HGSF programmes at school and community levels, for school gardens, demonstrations and other food production. It is therefore prudent to involve local government and land commissions in the process of configuring and planning school feeding interventions.  The Zimbabwe example is noteworthy.

6. National authorities responsible for School Feeding should avoid compromising quality and safety of school meals for quantity. Therefore, food safety and nutrition indicators need to be reported on in mutual accountability platforms.

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Member States need to work towards allocating significant budgets to school feeding in order to strengthen national ownership and control. The Gambia, Zimbabwe, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Burundi and Côte d´Ivoire are examples noteworthy in this respect.

2. Continental and regional platforms should be created and sustained for sharing experiences and peer learning, because some Member States have made significant advances in HGSF programmes, while others are still lagging far behind.

3. The AUC is requested to disseminate the report of the AU Study on School Feeding in Africa and encourage, monitor and report on the implementation of the recommendations thereof.

4. Finalise and implement the roadmap of the School Feeding Cluster at Continental, Regional and National levels, and the key strategic priorities of the Home Grown School Feeding Action Plan 2018-2020, integrating comments from the working groups.

5. Strengthen involvement of multiple partners in national HGSF Programmes, including key UN Agencies such as UNESCO, UNICEF, WFP and FAO, as well as Civil Society, Community Based Organisations and Private Sector.

6. Link school feeding programmes to international, continental and national development agendas.

7. Commit to developmental procurement strategies that exert a strong focus on increasing local production capacities.

8. Strengthen the Pan African School Feeding Network as a communication platform for the School Feeding Cluster.

9. The African Union Commission is requested to follow-up on the implementation of the recommendations in this Communiqué, in consultation with the key Development Partners and through the School Feeding Cluster.

Done in Harare, Zimbabwe, on 1^st March 2018.