Children line up for free breakfast at a provincial primary school in 2023. WFP/Samantha Reinders
As the Kingdom hosts the Southeast Asia School Meals Coalition Summit from November 18 - 20 in Siem Reap, Minister of Education Hang Chuon Naron has highlighted the importance of school meal programmes.
The summit, a collaboration between the Cambodian education ministry, the governments of the Philippines and South Korea and other regional partners, has brought together senior officials from around the region, as well as delegates from China and Japan.
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The event aims to strengthen the participants’ commitment to ensuring all children have access to nutritious school meals by 2030, in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
While addressing the meeting, the education minister emphasised the critical role of school meal programmes in reducing poverty, fostering local economic development, improving students’ health and well-being and supporting social safety nets, especially in impoverished areas.
“The Royal Government of Cambodia is committed to human capital development, economic growth and child well-being through initiatives like school meal programmes, using local agricultural products and cash scholarships for students from poor families,” he said.
Cambodia is one of 49 countries that submitted national pledges to the School Meal Coalition in March 2022.
“These commitments underline Cambodia’s vision to establish a national school meal policy, enhance programme funding, improve implementation and create frameworks to monitor outcomes effectively,” the minister added.
Currently, Cambodia’s school meal programme operates in about two-thirds of primary schools across 10 provinces, supported by both national funding and development partners. The government has also introduced the School Meal Policy 2024–2035, outlining its strategic approach.
The Siem Reap summit seeks to accelerate commitments to expanding nutritious and health-focused school meal programs in the Southeast Asian region, with the goal of achieving substantial coverage by 2030.
According to the UN in Cambodia, the government has committed to providing meals in 1,114 schools, reaching over 300,000 students, by 2028. Furthermore, Cambodia aims to increase the number of scholarship recipients from 250,000 in 2023–2024 to 650,000 by 2025.
“The summit is a vital step in fostering regional collaboration and ensuring a brighter, healthier future for children in the region and beyond,” said an education ministry statement.
