The United Nations World Food Programme and the city of Rome, the capital of Italy have agreed to work together to improve efforts to combat hunger and food insecurity in different parts of the world.
The agreement was signed yesterday in Rome, where the UN food agency headquarters are located. According to a press release from the UN, the partnership will co-sponsor global efforts to combat hunger and malnutrition, scourges that afflict more than a billion people across the world.
The partnership between the UN World Food Programme and Rome commits both parties to working together on efforts to raise awareness on hunger issues worldwide, particularly in emergency situations.
Josette Sheeran, the Executive Director of WFP
“We are launching Rome as the international capital in solidarity with the world’s hungry. We join together in making Rome ‘Ground Zero’ in a global solidarity campaign against hunger,” said Josette Sheeran, the Executive Director of WFP, when she signed the partnership agreement with Gianni Alemanno, the Mayor of Rome.
Leaders and experts on child nutrition from all over the world will gather in Rome next week for a major nutritional forum, hosted by WFP and the Municipality of Rome.
The activities include the distribution of hunger education packs to 20,000 schoolchildren, hosting an annual day to bring the message of hunger to millions of people, and using the city’s public transport system, including its buses, to display information on hunger and WFP’s work.
The municipal administration also announced its commitment to providing WFP with a “citizen’s office” in the heart of Rome, allowing the agency to be closer to the local people.
Rome hosts several UN entities, including WFP, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.