First Lady Olena Zelenska took part in a working meeting on the regional summit of the School Feeding Coalition, which Ukraine will host for the first time. The event will take place on November 12-13 this year in Kyiv, UNN reports with reference to the OP.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Oleksiy Kuleba, Minister of Health Viktor Liashko, Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi, Deputy Minister of Economy Tetiana Berezhna, Director of the Department of Public Diplomacy and Communications Viktoriia Lyalina-Boyko, and Head of the School Nutrition Reform Team Orest Stepaniak.
The Summit will focus on the organization of school meals in the European region. It will be a platform for sharing experiences, strengthening international cooperation and expanding the School Feeding Coalition. Ukraine will have the opportunity to present its own school feeding reform and sign memorandums aimed at its development.
"The way we are implementing the reform - during the defense of the country, how we managed to update the regulatory framework, re-equip canteens and build new ones, train cooks and ultimately feed children with high quality, nutritious, healthy food - is truly a unique global experience," Olena Zelenska said.
The summit panels will discuss, among other things, the impact of nutrition on children's health and quality of life in stressful conditions and economic development in the context of school meals.
"In the course of the reform, we have already seen that where school kitchens and canteens are restored or built, jobs are created, contracts are signed with local suppliers, children are more willing to enroll in schools where they are guaranteed a quality lunch, and the number of residents in cities with such schools increases," the first lady said.
The President's wife added that Ukraine expects new projects and partners from the summit to contribute to the development of our country, education and health of Ukrainian children.