Bi-Weekly Press Briefing: School Meals Report- WFP
/
2:44
/
MP4
/
201.3 MB

Edited News | WFP

Bi-Weekly Press Briefing: School Meals Report - WFP

School meals a critical safety net amid global food crisis - WFP

School meals are a critical safety net for vulnerable children and households amid the global food crisis, at a time when over 150 million children and young people are going hungry, the World Food Programme (WFP) said in a report on Tuesday.

“Something like half of those affected by the hunger crisis are children”, Carmen Burbano, WFP’s head of school-based programmes, told media in Geneva. “This is why programmes that governments are implementing all across the world to feed children in school are important for their food security, for their hunger levels and for many other issues.”

With many schools forced to shut their doors during the COVID-19 pandemic, free lunch programmes were upended worldwide, with dramatic results.

“Children have been disproportionately affected in the last couple of years because of simultaneous crises. Many of you may be aware that because of COVID school closures in 2020, 2021 and even 2022, many children – we calculate about 370 million children - lost access to meals in schools during the pandemic. In many cases, this is the only meal that they received a day”, said Ms. Burbano.

WFP indicated that overall, crucial access to school meal programmes around the world had been restored. According to Ms. Burbano, “Governments worldwide have mobilized in an unprecedented way to ensure that all those children that lost access to meals are now back to receiving these programmes. So we can now say that by and large, in most countries in the world, these programmes have been restored back to and even exceeded pre-pandemic levels.”

According to WFP’s report, nearly 420 million children worldwide receive school meals - some 30 million more than in 2020. Efforts to feed children in school received crucial support from the government-led School Meals Coalition, established in 2020 to respond to the pandemic’s impact. Today, 75 governments are members of the coalition, which aims to ensure every child can receive a daily, nutritious meal in school by 2030.

Still, a wide gap persists between wealthy and low-income countries.

“We are concerned that children in the poorest countries are being left behind”, Ms. Burbano said. “By and large, they have not benefitted from this enormous increase. Only 18 per cent of children in low-income countries have access to meals. So you can see this enormous disparity.” According to WFP, some 60 per cent of children in wealthy countries receive meals in schools.

Ms. Burbano stressed that urgent financing was required to alleviate these inequalities. “The other big message that we are highlighting in terms of red flags is that while even low-income governments have stepped up their financing in the midst of a huge financial crunch, donors have stepped back”, she said, calling for a reversal of this trend.

“These programmes are crucial not just because they feed children. And as I've said, this is important in the midst of a food crisis, but they are really much more than that”, Ms. Burbano said. They support keeping children in school, especially girls. They make sure that they get nutritious and healthy meals, not just food in their bellies. But they also help farmers. They create markets all over the world and they create jobs.”

In the report, WFP notes that four million jobs have been created through school meal programmes, most of them for women. The agency also highlights that according to research, school meals programmes can increase enrolment rates and attendance by nearly 10 per cent.

STORY: School Meals Report – WFP

TRT: 02’44”

SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
RELEASE DATE: 21 March 2023
HYBRID PRESS BRIEFING
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND


SHOTLIST

  1. Exterior wide shot: UN flag alley UN Geneva.
  2. Cutaway: medium shot, speakers behind podium
  3. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Carmen Burbano, WFP’s head of school-based programmes: “Something like half of those affected by the hunger crisis are children. This is why programmes that governments are implementing all across the world to feed children in school are important for their food security, for their hunger levels and for many other issues”.
  4. Cutaway: close-up lateral shot, journalists at the press conference, UN Geneva.
  5. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Carmen Burbano, WFP’s head of school-based programmes: “Children have been disproportionately affected in the last couple of years because of simultaneous crises. Many of you may be aware that because of COVID school closures in 2020, 2021 and even 2022, many children – we calculate about 370 million children - lost access to meals in schools during the pandemic. In many cases, this is the only meal that they received a day”.
  6. Cutaway: medium shot, journalists at the press conference, UN Geneva.
  7. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Carmen Burbano, WFP’s head of school-based programmes: “Governments worldwide have mobilized in an unprecedented way to ensure that all those children that lost access to meals are now back to receiving these programmes. So we can now say that by and large, in most countries in the world, these programmes have been restored back to and even exceeded pre-pandemic levels”.
  8. Cutaway: close-up lateral shot, journalists at the press conference, UN Geneva.
  9. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Carmen Burbano, WFP’s head of school-based programmes: “We are concerned that children in the poorest countries are being left behind. By and large, they have not benefitted from this enormous increase. Only 18 per cent of children in low-income countries have access to meals. So you can see this enormous disparity”.
  10. Cutaway: close-up lateral shot, journalists at the press conference, UN Geneva.
  11. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Carmen Burbano, WFP’s head of school-based programmes: “The other big message that we are highlighting in terms of red flags is that while even low-income governments have stepped up their financing in the midst of a huge financial crunch, donors have stepped back”.
  12. Cutaway: close-up shot, journalists typing.
  13. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Carmen Burbano, WFP’s head of school-based programmes: “These programmes are crucial not just because they feed children. And as I've said, this is important in the midst of a food crisis, but they are really much more than that. They support keeping children in school, especially girls. They make sure that they get nutritious and healthy meals, not just food in their bellies. But they also help farmers. They create markets all over the world and they create jobs”.
  14. Various cutaways of journalists and speakers in the press conference room.

Similar Stories

Gaza aid update - WFP

1

1

1

Edited News | WFP

Gaza aid update - WFP ENG FRA

Gazans’ response to food distributions ‘overwhelming’ as humanitarians scale up under fragile ceasefire

In Gaza, the ceasefire is enabling UN humanitarians to reach more desperate people with life-saving food, but greater access is needed to contain the spread of famine.

Gaza aid and border crossings - WFP, OCHA 17 October 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | WFP , OCHA

Gaza aid and border crossings - WFP, OCHA 17 October 2025 ENG FRA

UN urges opening of all Gaza crossings to deliver three-month food supply

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned food aid cannot reach everyone in Gaza unless all border crossings are opened, particularly in the north where famine was declared in August. The agency says it already has enough supplies in place to feed the entire population of the Strip for three months – if full access is granted by Israel.

Gaza update – UNDP, UNICEF, OCHA, ICRC 14 October 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | UNDP , UNICEF , OCHA , ICRC

Gaza update – UNDP, UNICEF, OCHA, ICRC 14 October 2025 ENG FRA

Around $70 billion will be needed to reconstruct Gaza and make it safe after two years of war, UN development experts said on Tuesday, while aid agencies reported that far too little aid continues to reach  desperate Palestinians.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Machado: reaction from UN rights office

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Machado: reaction from UN rights office ENG FRA

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Friday welcomed the Nobel Peace Prize committee’s decision to name Maria Machado as this year’s laureate, in recognition of her work promoting the Venezuelan people’s democratic hopes.

Gaza ceasefire agreement – UNRWA, UNICEF, WHO 10 October 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | UNRWA , UNICEF , WHO

Gaza ceasefire agreement – UNRWA, UNICEF, WHO 10 October 2025 ENG FRA

As Gazans jammed the main route leading north on Friday after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was announced, UN aid teams repeated their call to open all crossings into the devastated enclave to prevent famine spreading.

Gaza - Israel war 7 October 2025 - OCHA - UNICEF - WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , WHO

Gaza - Israel war 7 October 2025 - OCHA - UNICEF - WHO ENG FRA

Two years of Gaza-Israel war bring ‘indescribable’ pain: UN humanitarians

Two years since the Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel, UN humanitarians on Tuesday reiterated calls for the release of all hostages in Gaza, an immediate ceasefire and an aid surge to alleviate Palestinians’ suffering, as talks on a US-driven peace plan continued in Egypt.

Justice for Syria's disappeared - Riyad Avlar – 06 October 2025

1

1

1

Edited News

Justice for Syria's disappeared - Riyad Avlar – 06 October 2025 ENG FRA

Syria prison survivor seeks justice for the missing with UN backing.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk at Human Rights Council on Ukraine: “This war needs to end”

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk at Human Rights Council on Ukraine: “This war needs to end” ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday warned that three and a half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine has entered an even more dangerous and deadly stage for Ukrainian civilians, under relentless bombardment of their schools, hospitals, and shelters.

30 minutes in a Gaza hospital - UNICEF - WHO - ICRC

1

1

1

Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , ICRC

30 minutes in a Gaza hospital - UNICEF - WHO - ICRC ENG FRA

Quadcopter victims, terror and death: 30 minutes in a Gaza hospital 

UN aid teams on Friday highlighted the disturbing situation in Gaza’s makeshift hospitals, where premature babies cry for scant oxygen and medics attempt to save child survivors targeted by airstrikes in their tents and quadcopter victims reportedly shot while fetching bread.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s Oral update to the Human Rights Council on the situation in Haiti

2

1

2

Edited News | OHCHR

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s Oral update to the Human Rights Council on the situation in Haiti ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday delivered his oral update to the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session on the human rights situation in Haiti.

The High Commissioner welcomed Wednesday’s decision of the UN Security Council to strengthen the Multinational Security Support mission by transitioning to the Gang Suppression Force for Haiti, stating it is a strong signal of international support for the Haitian people.

Gaza aid update - UNICEF, OCHA 30 September 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF

Gaza aid update - UNICEF, OCHA 30 September 2025 ENG FRA

Gaza: As world waits for US peace plan news, UN aid teams stress need for ceasefire

UN agencies reiterated calls for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday to help alleviate Palestinian suffering, as a new US 20-point plan raised hopes of a halt to the fighting.

Gaza healthcare attacks – WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO

Gaza healthcare attacks – WHO ENG FRA

The ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza City continues to overwhelm the war-torn enclave’s medical professionals, with four more hospitals forced to shut down this month alone, the UN World Health Organization said on Friday.