In Numbers WFP provides capacity-strengthening activities aimed at enhancing the Government- run National School Feeding Programme (NSFP) that reaches 260,000 children (125,000 girls and 135,000 boys) in 2,500 primary schools. The budget for national school feeding doubled in 2019, reaching US$ 16 m per year. US$ 1.7 m WFP Tunisia were allocated by the Tunisian Government for the construction and equipment of a pilot Country Brief central kitchen and development of a School March 2019 Food Bank. Operational Context Operational Updates Tunisia has undergone significant changes since the • WFP supports the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) Office Revolution of January 2011. The strategic direction of the of School Services (OOESCO, Office des Oeuvres Scolaires) to implement a Plan of Action adopted by Government currently focuses on strengthening the National School Feeding’s Steering Committee in democracy, while laying the groundwork for a stronger January 2019. Six multi-stakeholder thematic task economic recovery. Tunisia has a gross national income forces (TF) were set up to operationalize the Plan of (GNI) per capita of USD 10,275 purchasing power parity Action: governance, partnership, operations, gender, (UNDP, 2018). The 2018 United Nations Development local agriculture and nutrition. With WFP’s technical Programme (UNDP) Human Development Index (HDI) support, the TFs validated their respective terms of ranks Tunisia 95 out 189 countries and 58 on the Gender reference and endorsed a clear set of activities, Inequality Index (GII 2018). deadlines and focal points for implementation. The Nutrition TF is moving forward in the roll out of a WFP has positioned itself as a technical advisor through practical Nutrition and Hygiene guide, developed by capacity-strengthening activities in Tunisia, with the WFP and the National Institute of Nutrition. WFP provision of technical assistance aiming to improve the worked with the operations TF to organize a National School Feeding Programme (NSFP). workshop on an Operations Manual for the NSFP in April. • WFP is supporting the Government in scaling up the central kitchen model. The first central kitchen was initiated in Zaghouan governorate in 2016 and is now producing 700 hot nutritious meals a day, delivered to 3 satellites schools. During the reporting month, WFP conducted several field visits in collaboration with the representatives of the Ministry of Education - OOESCO and Ministry of Agriculture, aiming at identifying new sites for the replication of the centralized school feeding model. • The fourth phase of the Decentralized Evaluation of WFP’s activities in Tunisia (2016-2018) was concluded. From 11 to 23 March, the Evaluation Team conducted the data collection mission, and met with multiple stakeholders engaged in the enhancement of the NSFP, including government, donors, international organizations and WFP’s cooperating partners. WFP Population: 2018 Human Development Index: facilitated the planning and logistics of the school 11 million 95 out of 189 visits in Kairouan, Ariana and Nabeul governorate. At the end of their mission, the evaluation team Income Level: GNI per Capita (PPP): presented a summary of the preliminary findings. Lower middle US$ 3,690 The reporting phase of the Decentralized Evaluation is planned to be conducted on the 30-31 May 2019. Photo: School children in Cebalat Ben Amar primary school, Ariana governorate, celebrating the Traditional Dress Day celebrated on Contact info: Maria Lukyanova ([email protected]) 16 March in collaboration with WFP’s Cooperating Partner URPCT Head of Office: Maria Lukyanova (Un répas pour chaque Tunisien). Further information: www.wfp.org/countries/tunisia URPCT/Iyed Tej WFP Country Strategy Government to set up the supply chain management Tunisia Country Strategic Plan (2018-2022) system for the BAS in partnership with Devery, a Blockchain company focused on secure product Total Requirement Allocated Contributions (in USD) (in USD) verification. On 5-8 March, a team of Devery experts conducted a mission in Tunisia to deliver the block chain 4.3 m 2.9 m system to the Ministry of Education and train selected Six-Month Net Funding 2019 Requirements users. The training was delivered to nine Requirements (in USD) (in USD) (April– September 2019) representatives of OOESCO with the support of the National Centre of Technology for Education (CNTE - 1.2 m 0 Centre National des Technologies en Education). A simulation of the software platform was conducted at Strategic Result 5: Developing countries have strengthened capacities the BAS Mornag warehouse, Ben Arous governorate. to implement the SDGs Strategic Outcome 1: National institutions in Tunisia have WFP Tunisia supports the Government in strengthened capacity to implement enhanced school meals and social protection programmes which advance food security and nutrition by reaching adequate levels of preparedness 2022. to respond to natural disasters through Focus area: Root Causes the Global Preparedness Partnership Activities: • Provide policy advice and technical assistance to national (GPP) institutions implementing school meals and social protection The goal of the Global Preparedness Partnership (GPP) is to programmes. save lives, save time and preserve financial resources when Monitoring disaster strikes. Following heavy rainfall and consequent • WFP works with the MoE and the Regional Education flooding that hit Tunisia in September 2018, WFP led the Commissariats (CRE) of the Nabeul, Kairouan, Kasserine and United Nations Country Team in hosting a GPP scoping Ariana governorates and the United Nations Office for mission in the country, aiming to support the Government in reaching adequate levels of preparedness to respond to Project Services (UNOPS) to monitor progress towards upgrading the infrastructure and equipment of six selected natural disasters. The mission produced an assessment on school kitchens to enable them to prepare hot nutritious the existing national capacities in the area of preparedness meals. WFP also monitors progress in three “satellite” and related recommendations. WFP is working in schools that will be also upgraded, in partnership with coordination with the Ministry of Environment, the National UNOPS, to benefit from hot meals prepared in the pilot Office of Civil Protection, the UN Resident Coordinator central kitchen of Nadhour. In March, locally contracted office, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United construction companies established construction sites in six Nations (FAO) and UNDP to build the capacity of the national schools to initiate the kitchen upgrade work. institutions and implement the GPP mission’s recommendations by established a clear methodology and Challenges timeline for risk management. WFP experts will conduct a three-day GPP workshop with national stakeholders during • Since May 2018, WFP Tunisia has concluded Field Level Agreements (FLAs) with five Cooperating Partners (CP) who the month of April. are executing the revitalisation of school gardens launched in 2018. WFP continues to work to expand its geographical coverage through additional Field Level Agreements (FLA) Donors with CPs to set up / improve the gardens planned for 2019. Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). One of the challenges encountered during the CP selection is the limited capacity of associations active in the country, which may in turn affect the rate of implementation for school gardens. As mitigation actions, the Country Office (CO) provides of trainings to partners to build/develop their capacities and is preparing to launch a broad request for proposals to diversify the CP base. Partnerships • WFP continues to support the Ministry of Education in strengthening regulatory frameworks and tools of the National School Feeding Programme (NSFP), including in with setting up a School Food Bank (BAS - Banque Alimentaire Scolaire). WFP also continues to support the WFP Tunisia Country Brief March 2019 .