The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) is calling on all sectors of society, to fight world hunger by posting their picture on a virtual web wall and to make a donation towards free meals for some of the 59 million children around the world who go to school hungry.

The launch of WFP’s “Wall Against Hunger” will allow everyone to play a part in ending child hunger, simply by signing up to the innovative, new, web-based initiative.

'The push to end world hunger is one thing that people across all political spectrums, all religions, and all nations can join,' said Nancy Roman, director of Public Policy, Communications and Private Partnerships for the World Food Programme.

WFP’s “Wall Against Hunger” is a collaborative effort that uses the dramatic image-rendering browser display developed by “Cooliris”, a technology firm based in Palo Alto, California.

Additional support is being provided by Typhon.com, a French information technology company that is based in Paris.  Typhon.com has agreed to provide all the internet-hosting needs of the “Wall Against Hunger”, free of charge.

Over the past four decades, WFP - acting with governments, sister UN agencies, and non governmental organisations - has helped to reduce the total percentage of world hunger from 37 per cent of world population in 1967 to 17 per cent today.

Over the past year, high food prices have pushed another 75 million people into the ranks of the hungry with a total of 923 million people going to bed hungry every night around the world.

“With the financial crisis now upon us, unemployment is rising in the developed world, which will soon translate into fewer jobs, lower incomes and more hunger in developing countries,” Roman said.  “Unless the world steps up, this will put all of our gains in jeopardy.'-TradeArabia News Service