Bangkok - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners are mobilizing hundreds of thousands of people worldwide to walk together on 21 May to call for an end to child hunger. This will be the most comprehensive and diverse demonstration in history focused on hungry children and the Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of hungry people globally by 2015.

On Sunday, 21 May 2006, more than 700,000 people in over 100 countries across 24 time zones are expected to walk to highlight the battle against child hunger.  This number includes children throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. By walking, these children are joining a growing chorus of voices across every demographic and every region of the world saying that it is unacceptable that 300 million children are chronically hungry in the world today.

“Fight Hunger: Walk the World” was initiated three years ago by TNT, global provider of express, mail and logistics services. The event is the primary organizing vehicle for engage citizens globally in the struggle to achieve an end to child hunger and the first Millennium Development Goal.

In Bangkok, Walk the World will be held at Lumpini Park on 21 May.  Bangkok Governor Khun Apirak Kosayodhin will open the walk.  Over 3,000 people are expected to participate in Bangkok, including WFP and TNT staff, partners, families and friends.

“I hope that Bangkok residents will join us on Sunday,” said Anthony Banbury, WFP Regional Director for Asia. “Thailand is a global success story in reducing and preventing child hunger.  Now is the time for the Thai people to take up the challenge of helping fight child hunger in other countries, in Asia and around the world.”

Registration for the walk will begin at 7 am, at the main outdoor stage.  The walk, which will cover 2.5 kilometres, will start at 8 am sharp.

The cost of the walk is Baht 150 for the general public.  All proceeds will go to the school feeding projects of the UN World Food Programme (WFP).  All too often children – particularly girls – are deprived of education because their families cannot afford to send their children to school. Yet educating girls is one of the best ways of escaping the cycle of poverty and hunger.  WFP expects to reach 6.5 million school children in poor and remote areas of Asia in 2006.

Those who are unable to join the walk can still help out by donating money through the Walk the World website: www.fighthunger.org.

“Fight Hunger:  Walk the World is about creating a movement to end child hunger,” said Arlene Mitchell, Director of Walk the World for WFP.  “By engaging citizens from rich and poor countries alike, governments worldwide will heed the call, and will do more to end child hunger.  Without citizen action, the status quo will remain. But with it, we can help to end the unnecessary suffering of children.”  

Beginning in Auckland, New Zealand at 10:00 in the morning, and occurring sequentially for 24 hours across 24 time zones, the Walks are as diverse as their locations: more than 70,000 school children are expected to walk in Liberia, thousands are expected to converge near Red Square in Moscow, in Tanzania, an intrepid group of climbers will scale Mount Kilimanjaro, in Nepal, a WFP staffer will plant the Walk the World flag at the top of  Mount Everest to Fight Hunger, and in Brazil the government has adopted Fight Hunger:  Walk the World as part of the country’s “Fome Zero” campaign.

For more details about how to support or take part in “Walk the World” 2006, please contact:

Parichat Buranathanit

WFP/Bangkok

Tel. +66-2-655-4115 ext.2510

Mob. +66-9-964-7442

Nick Keyes

WFP/Bangkok,

Tel. +66-2-655-4115 ext.2020

Mob. +66-1-9230362

http://www.fighthunger.org