Over the past 20 years, governments and development partners have recognized the power of school meal programmes in supporting education and health outcomes for children, particularly girls, contributing to human capital development and economic growth, while also helping countries to respond to shocks. Scaling up school meal programmes could help revive progress towards the SDGs, unite a fragmented multilateral system and change the lives of millions of children and their families. Governments are stepping up and supporting this agenda, including through increased domestic contributions, even as fiscal space shrinks and international funding decreases. 4. For WFP, this represents a unique opportunity. With WFP recognized as a leader in emergency response and logistics, school meals is the third area where it plays a global leadership role. The organization has 60 years of experience in supporting governments with school meal programmes, during which time 50 countries1 have transitioned to self-reliant programmes, making school meals one of WFP’s most important tools in changing lives in a sustainable way.