WFP calls for bold, innovative partnerships to end hunger

The World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday highlighted the need for bold and constructive partnerships between governments, business and organizations to end hunger.

Such partnerships will create the requisite momentum towards achieving zero hunger and shaping a brighter future for millions of children, the WFP said in a statement emailed to Xinhua.

It issued the statement to mark World Food Day which falls on Sunday this year.

"Ending hunger in our lifetime is possible. We can build a world where everyone, everywhere has access to nutritious food -- if we all work together, as partners," said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin.

Whether in a humanitarian or developmental context, partnerships must be bold, strategic and innovative, and be measured by how they change the lives of the world's most vulnerable people, Cousin said.

Innovation plays a fundamental role in ensuring that partnerships catalyse and drive change, while also rallying ordinary people around the globe to take action against hunger, he said.

WFP's award-winning ShareTheMeal app has engaged a new generation of people in supporting this mission. More than 620,000 people have donated through a simple tap on their mobile phone, sharing over 8.2 million meals and following the impact of their donations via social media.

ShareTheMeal's current goal is to provide school meals for an entire year to 58,000 school children in Zomba, a district in southern Malawi severely affected by drought and suffering from high levels of food insecurity.

WFP last year provided school snacks or meals to more than 17 million school children in 62 countries, nourishing their bodies and feeding their dreams.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.

Each year,the WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries. Enditem