Past events
The PSFN is pleased to share slides and recordings from past events, including regional events, a local food in schools webinar, a celebration of International School Meals Day (2024), the PSFN Launch and more.
Global Child Nutrition Forum
PSFN was invited by the Global Child Nutrition Foundation to organise a workshop ‘School Meals in Island States – Examples, Opportunities and Advocacy’ at the Global Child Nutrition Forum, 9-12 December 2024, Osaka, Japan.
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PSFN members, along with Prof Jun Kobayashi (Department of Global Health at the School of Health Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of the Ryukyus, Japan) presented an overview of the context of small island states. Workshop participants shared experiences and discussed opportunities for advocacy.
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A regional update was also shared in a plenary session.
Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Solutions Forum
PSFN delivered a breakout session ‘Home Grown and Plant Friendly School Food Provision – Pacific Pathways’ at the 2024 Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Solutions Forum, 5-8 November 2024, Nadi, Fiji.
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The session included presentations from:
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PIFON (Overview of school food related activities and interest in multistakeholder engagement)
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Fiji Beekeepers Association (integrating beekeeping into school based activities)
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Honorable Minister of Health, Kingdom of Tonga (Health Promoting Schools in Tonga)
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Director Ravo (The Department of Agriculture, Vanuatu, Farm 2 School program)
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Dr Gianna Bonis Profumo (WorldFish, using aquatic foods in school meals programs in Timor Leste),
WHO Regional Meeting on Health Promoting Schools for the Western Pacific Region
PSFN was invited by WFP and WHO to co-organise a side session ‘Investing in School Meals- A Pathway to Better Nutrition, Education, and Human Capital’ at the WHO Regional Meeting on Health Promoting Schools for the Western Pacific, 12-15 November 2024, Manila, Philippines.
The session had presentations from the PSFN exec and Ministry of Education representatives from Kiribati, Palau, Marshall Islands, Vanuatu who shared experiences related to their respective school feeding programs. The dynamic panel discussion after the presentations highlighted the challenges unique to the Pacific related to operationalising school food provision programs including sustained and sufficient funding, effective multisector collaboration, procurement of fresh local produce and the lack of research and evidence to guide policy and programming.
The session, through interactive discussions from the panel and audience identified strategic opportunities for Pacific school food programs to be planet friendly, climate resilient and transformative of local food systems, including by supporting local agrifood systems to supply foods through close cooperation with relevant ministries of agriculture.
The importance of school meal programs to be integral parts of Health Promoting School Policies was evident from the fact that the topic was raised across several sessions, despite school meals not being the focus of these sessions. The multiple development outcomes related to education, nutrition, health, gender equity and broader economic and employment generation were often cited by other meeting participants.
PSFN joins the Grassroots Partnerships for Pacific Solutions Event
PSFN was invited by Pacific Island Farmers Organisation Network (PIFON) to co-organise the two day ‘Farm2School’ event at the Grassroots Partnerships for Pacific Solutions, 16-20 September 2024, Nukualofa, Tonga.
The event comprised a series of interactive workshops aimed at providing practical knowledge in key areas such as the development and maintenance of school gardens, integrating nutrition and food education into school curricula, and implementing sustainable school feeding programs that support local agriculture while providing healthy meals to students.
The Pacific Island Farmers Organisation Network (PIFON) representing farmer organizations throughout the Pacific brought together approximately 50 regional and international participants, along with 100 local participants for sharing and learning and to discuss and explore opportunities for farm 2 school approaches in the region. This provided an opportunity to present the findings from the recently completed ACIAR School Food Provision in the Pacific scoping study which was carried out by the University of the Sunshine Coast, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and partners of the Pacific School Food Network.
A series of school visits and school garden workdays were also held including school lunches prepared with locally sourced ingredients demonstrating the practical application of school feeding programs. The program concluded with brainstorming and discussions on the constraints and opportunities for farmer organizations to be involved in the farm 2 school ecosystem and a regional envisioning of what would a ‘school food in the Pacific’ framework look like?
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SMC Southeast Asia Summit
PSFN presented on ‘Planet-Friendly School Meals Framework’ at the SMC Southeast Asia Summit. The framework has been published by the Lancet Planetary Health journal. The outcome statement from this event is also available.
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Citation: Hunter, D. (2024) Food systems transformation through school meals: 8 things. Presented at the Southeast Asia SMC Summit, Cambodia, 18-20 November 2024. 22 sl. Access the slides below.
COP29
PSFN co-organised a session at COP29 ‘Next-generation school feeding: Nourishing our children while building climate resilience’ at COP29 on the 18 November, Baku, Azerbaijan.
Climate COP29, Baku, Azerbaijan (2024) Next Generation School Feeding: Nourishing our Children while Building Climate Resilience. Co-organized by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; CGIAR Nutrition Impact Platform; Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition; GAIN and Pacific School Food Network https://events.cgiar.org/next-generationschoolfeedingno
The recording of the session is available.
Local food in Pacific Islands Schools webinar
The PSFN hosted a webinar on local foods in Pacific Islands schools in May 2024. Guest speakers included Dr Ming Wei and Mr Boris Lhie.
Vanuatu colleagues also shared the video below on the Ambaebulu School Farm to School initiative in Vanuatu.
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The Pacific School Food Activity Database can be accessed here.
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International School Meals Day 2024
The PSFN held a webinar to support International School Meals Day on March 14th, 2024. A recording of this event can be accessed below. We thank our presenters who provided an insight into current school food activities in Fiji.
PSFN Launch
The PSFN held a launch event on the 27th October, 2021. A recording of this event and the presenters slides can be accessed below. We thank our presenters who provided an insight into current school food and nutrition activities in their countries.
These are the slides presented by the PSFN. PSFN slides
Slides
These are the slides presented by Ms Brynn Demei, Ministry of Education, Palau. Ms Brynn Demei slides
These are the slides presented by Ms Alvina Karan from the National Food and Nutrition Centre, Fiji. Acknowledgements: WHO Fiji Office (WHO HPS Regional Workshop 2019). National Food and Nutrition Centre slides
These are the slides presented by Dr Viliami Puloka, Health Promotion Forum of New Zealand, Otago University. Dr Puloka slides
These are the slides presented by Ms Jill Losi, Ministry of Health, Solomon Islands. Ms Jill Losi slides
