The “Every Child’s Right to a School Meal” initiative, led by Professor Ivana Dobrotić, Professor Olja Družić Ljubotina, Professor Marijana Kletečki Radović and Associate Professor Antonija Petričušić, that successfully advocated the introduction of universal free school meals for all primary school pupils in Croatia, was presented as an example of good advocacy practice at the No Child Left Behind conference held in London on 26 June 2026. The conference was organised by the National Education Union (NEU), the United Kingdom’s largest education union, representing more than 500,000 education professionals.
At the invitation of the organisers, Professor Ivana Dobrotić presented the Croatian initiative’s experience during the plenary panel Finishing the Job: The Continued Fight for Free School Meals for All. The organisers recognised the Croatian initiative as a successful model for advocating universal free school meals and as a source of inspiration for the United Kingdom’s campaign to introduce free school meals for every child. Particular interest was shown in the initiative’s advocacy strategies, which presented access to a school meal as a universal right of every child, as well as in the arguments supporting the principle of universality over targeted models of support, including issues relating to funding and the prevention of stigma affecting children.
The conference brought together representatives of the education sector, researchers, policymakers and civil society organisations to exchange experiences, strengthen initiatives aimed at tackling child poverty and ensuring equal access to school meals for every child, and discuss the next steps in advocating the introduction of universal free school meals across the United Kingdom.
