>Statement by WFP Executive Director, Josette Sheeran, ahead of End Hunger: Walk the World

This Sunday, thousands of people around the world will be taking to the streets for the annual “End Hunger: Walk the World” event. The walk unites people from all over the world in a common belief: that hunger is unacceptable, and we must put our energy, creativity and resources behind the eradication of child malnutrition.

A third of all deaths in children under the age of five in developing countries are linked to undernutrition, while the physical and mental development of millions more is damaged by the irreversible effects of long-term hidden hunger. Walk the World raises funds for WFP’s school meal programmes – for just 1 euro a week, a cup of food in school can help break the cycle of hunger and poverty by giving children a healthy start in life.

I hope that everyone who can will join WFP and our global partners — TNT, Unilever and DSM – in solidarity with the world’s 1 billion urgently hungry people this Sunday, either by participating in walk near them, or by joining the virtual walk community on our website wfp.org/walktheworld. Together, we can fight hunger!