US embassy cable - 04ROME1010

UNCLAS  ROME 001010 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME 
 
STATE FOR WHA/USOAS AMBASSADOR NORIEGA, AS/IO HOLMES, PRM/P, 
WHA/BSC, WHA/CEN, WHA/CAR, WHA/AND, WHA/EPSC FOR SUMMIT 
COORDINATING OFFICE AND IO/EDA BEHREND/KOTOK 
USAID FOR A/AID, AA/LAC, DAA/DCHA GRIGSBY, DCHA/FFP LANDIS 
USDA/FAS FOR U/S PENN, CHAMBLISS/TILSWORTH/GAINOR 
GENEVA FOR AMBASSADOR MOLEY, RMA LYNCH AND NKYLOH/USAID 
USUN FOR AMBASSADOR NEGROPONTE AND MLUTZ 
BRUSSELS FOR USAID/LERNER 
NSC FOR JDWORKEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, EAGR, AORC, PREF, SENV, FAO, WHO, WFP, UNESCO 
SUBJECT: CHILE/WORLD FOOD PROGRAM CONFERENCE TO LAUNCH A 
PRIVATE-PUBLIC LATIN AMERICAN SCHOOL FEEDING NETWORK - MARCH 
24-26, 2004 
REF: (A) 03 ROME 004879 
 
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Summary 
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1. The World Food Program (WFP), the Chilean Board of 
Educational Assistance and Scholarships (JUNAEB), and the 
U.S.-based American School Food Service Association (ASFSA) 
plan to jointly launch a Latin American independent school- 
feeding support network at a Conference in Santiago, Chile, 
March 24-26, 2004. At this event, the above mentioned 
parties will bring together approximately 700 school feeding 
stakeholders from a cross-section of society, including key 
government officials, private company representatives, 
foundations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), 
academia, and UN agencies. US Mission/Rome is highly 
supportive of this new initiative and will work with WFP 
Headquarters to explore how the partnership can be further 
nurtured. End summary. 
 
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Background 
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2. In February, 2003, the World Food Program (WFP), the 
Chilean Board of Educational Assistance and Scholarships 
(JUNAEB), and the American School Food Service Association 
(ASFSA) signed a letter of intent to develop an independent 
school feeding network to improve and sustain school feeding 
activities in the future throughout Latin America. The 
parties are committed to developing a sustainable 
organization, capable of expanding school feeding activities 
through the strengths of the private sector and through 
partnerships that engage a wider commitment from all areas 
of the community. This independent school-feeding support 
network is to be formally launched at a Conference in 
Santiago, Chile, March 24-26, 2004. 
 
3. The World Food Program, the United Nation's front line 
food  agency,  has  more than 40 years of  experience  in 
school   feeding  programs.  It  will  draw  from   these 
experiences  and  its Global School Feeding  Campaign  to 
promote the network and secure long-term funding. 
 
4. JUNAEB operates the national school-feeding program in 
Chile and serves 1.3 million students daily.  Its programs 
demonstrate a strong national commitment to effective school 
feeding activities with a history of successful private 
sector involvement. Using the strengths of its own 
activities, JUNAEB will help develop a network that meets 
the complex needs of school feeding operations throughout 
the region. 
 
5. The American School Food Service Association is a U.S. 
 
non-profit professional association that promotes child 
nutrition programs, monitors legislation and administers 
certification and credentialing programs to ensure school 
nutrition professionals excel on the job. The Association 
will bring the expertise of its 52 state affiliates, 
hundreds of local chapters and more than 55,000 members to 
help create an effective membership-based network in Latin 
America. 
 
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Activities envisaged under the partnership 
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6. Herewith a summary of the activities envisioned: 
 
-JUNAEB will provide in-kind donations and some support 
services at the conference and afterwards to help launch the 
network in the region. 
 
-JUNAEB will provide legal advice regarding local (Chilean) 
laws as the network is established in Santiago. 
 
-ASFSA will provide critical knowledge about the structure 
and operation of its membership-based network. 
 
-ASFSA will provide advice on the development and management 
of education and certification courses that ensure quality 
food distribution practices. 
 
-WFP will offer technical expertise in the area of program 
management, commodity procurement and the use of new 
products on the market. 
 
-WFP will offer administrative support during the initial 
planning phases and leading up to the launch of the network. 
 
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Objectives of the Network 
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7. The Parties will combine their strengths to create a 
financially independent school feeding network that will 
provide technical assistance, health-related information to 
achieve substantial gains in the fight against hunger. 
The Parties will create a model for responsible and 
sustainable private sector relationships that can be used to 
supplement current government support, increase the 
diversity of donors and types of donations to school feeding 
activities. 
 
8. The Parties will work with traditional and new models for 
 
partnerships with relevant organizations and donors that use 
schools and school-feeding activities as a base for actions 
(such as nutrition and agricultural education, literacy 
training, de-worming and other health and sanitation 
measures) and involve the entire community. 
 
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Comment 
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9. This idea was first proposed at a 1999 Seminar of Latin 
American Education Ministers in Medellin, Colombia and 
received the support of the First Ladies of the Americas 
Network. There are a number of on-going public-private 
partnerships including the laudable civil-society led Global 
Campaign for Education and Harvest Plus programs. 
Unfortunately, some private sector initiatives remain 
confined to philanthropy and one-off projects. US 
Mission/Rome is highly supportive of this new initiative and 
will work with WFP Headquarters to explore how the 
partnership can be further nurtured. I am especially pleased 
to see how regional initiatives such as this one (along with 
the West African "Alliance for Action" on School Feeding in 
the Sahel) are multiplying.  The USG investment in global 
school feeding through the McGovern-Dole International Food 
for Education Program is already paying dividends.  We 
should do whatever we can to support efforts like this one 
and encourage others. Hall 
 
 
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 2004ROME01010 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED