During her 16 years of experience with WFP, Carmen Burbano de Lara has focused on supporting governments to improve the nutrition, education, and wellbeing of children. Specifically, she is interested in tackling the interrelated issues of malnutrition, poor health and learning and in strengthening the national safety net systems designed to address these issues.

Ms. Burbano de Lara is WFP’s world expert in school feeding. In this capacity, she has advised the governments of China, Colombia and Kenya, Ghana, among others, often in partnership with the World Bank. She is the co-author of the most influential publications on school feeding over the last ten years including “Re-imagining school feeding: a human capital investment in health, education, social protection and agriculture” (2018); “The School Feeding Sourcebook” (2016); and “Rethinking School Feeding” (2009), published by the World Bank. She has authored WFP’s flagship publication “The State of School Feeding Worldwide” (2013).