International School Meals Day

This year's focus highlights how healthy school meals go beyond nutrition to serve as a high-return investment in human capital, creating local employment and increasing climate resilience.

The event brought together senior representatives of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, WFP’s key partner in the Government, who took the ownership of National School Meals Programme in the regions; the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Armenia, the core donor of the School Meals Programme; international partners; and local civil society organizations. Their participation underscores the strong national and international commitment to improving child nutrition and supporting Armenia’s school feeding system.

"School meals are a powerful, strategic public policy," said Leila Meliouh, WFP Armenia Country Director and Representative. "By providing nutritious food, we are fostering healthier future generations and supporting local agriculture.

Since its inception in 2010, WFP has worked alongside the Government of Armenia, through the funding from the Russian Federation, to build a sustainable, state-led school feeding program. As of 2023, the handover was officially completed in 10 regions, with the Armenian government now funding the daily hot meals for grades 1–4 from state budget.

In her welcoming speech Araksia Svajyan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, mentioned:

"The "School Meals" programme implemented in our country is considered exemplary, as it has an agricultural component, which distinguishes it from programmes implemented in many other countries. Within the framework of this component, we have the opportunity to create new infrastructures in schools by establishing greenhouses, intensive gardens, hot food kitchen infrastructures, which also serve as learning environments. These infrastructures are also important for studying agriculture, for developing healthy eating knowledge, abilities, and skills in children, as well as for professional orientation."

Throughout the week, it was inspiring to see the the fourth graders take the lead in fun learning activities, while the older students jumped in to help teachers as Healthy Eating Assistants. The whole programme was truly hands on and creative, bringing everyone together to learn, explore and work as a team. Each themed session encouraged children to discover food groups, talk about what makes a balanced meal, and understand how the food they eat fuels their energy for playing, learning and growing.

"Armenia's school feeding journey is a global model for sustainability," said Leila Meliouh, WFP Representative and Country Director in. "By moving from international assistance to a nationally owned programme, Armenia is investing in its most precious resource, its children, ensuring they have the nutrition needed to learn, grow, and thrive. With the adoption of the WFP Armenia Country Strategic Plan for 2026–2030 in Rome last month, the focus now shifts toward ensuring no child is left behind. This includes ongoing efforts to develop a tailored school meal program for the capital city, Yerevan, which aims to benefit an additional 40,000 children."

Sergey Kopyrkin, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Armenia congratulated all the participants of the event celebrating the International School Feeding Day. He noted that for many years Russia has been making a significant contribution to the implementation of international programs aimed at creating and developing a sustainable school feeding system in Armenia. The ambassador mentioned that in 2010–2024 the Russian Federation financed 4 stages of the programme, totaling about 43 million US dollars, thanks to which Armenian school students in 10 regions of the republic receive high-quality hot meals, additional jobs have been created, and professional training opportunities were provided to school staff.

Healthy Nutrition Week highlights the importance of investing in children’s nutrition as a foundation for learning and future development and reminds that every dram invested in School Meals Programme can generate up to AMD 7.1 in returns within five years through child health, education, and future productivity. As Armenia marks International School Meals Day, we, the partners, reaffirm our commitment to strengthening nationally led school feeding systems and embedding nutrition education into daily learning. 

About the United Nations World Food Programme

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has been present in Armenia since 1993. Today, it focuses on strengthening national food security, building resilience against emergencies, and supporting the government in achieving Zero Hunger by 2030. Globally, the World Food Programme is the leading humanitarian organization implementing and supporting school meal programs. These initiatives are now recognized as one of the world's most effective social safety nets, providing a critical lifeline for millions of children. As of 2024, approximately 466 million children worldwide receive school meals, an increase of 80 million since 2020. In 2024, WFP directly provided meals, take-home rations, or cash transfers to 20 million schoolchildren across 61 countries. WFP supports governments in 74 countries to reach an additional 139 million children through national programs.

For further information contact 

Artak Ordyan, Head of Partnerships and Communications  
United Nations World Food Programme 
Email: artak.ordyan@wfp.org