Professional Football against Hunger
In signing a Cooperation Agreement on 14 April 2008 in Lisbon, Portugal, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Association of the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) have decide to translate into concrete actions their strong commitment to ensure the wellbeing of humanity and to join forces, using their respective comparative advantages, to work in synergy to put an end to the suffering of the more than 860 million people around the word who do not have access to sufficient food in quantity and quality to lead healthy and active lives, and thus to achieve the World Food Summit target and the Millennium Development goals (MDGs). The Agreement provides a unique opportunity to harness the power of football to mobilize the general public, promote and advocate for the fight against hunger at the European and world levels involving all professional football partners and the media.The main message is a call for action:
- to join an international solidarity movement against hunger led by FAO to increase awareness among a wide European public of the critical need to reduce global hunger and poverty; and
- to participate and positively contribute to the fight against hunger and poverty in finding sustainable solutions to the food crisis due to the soaring of food prices and in achieving the World Food Summit target and the MDGs.
The European Professional Football Leagues and FAO officially launched a campaign to raise funds and awareness about the increasingly critical problem of world hunger on the 15 October 2008 in Rome, in the ambit of the World Food Day.
The campaign, known as Professional Football against Hunger was launched at FAO headquarters in the presence of Italian former football star and FAO Goodwill Ambassador Roberto Baggio together with other famous names in European football.
The ceremony was attended by Ministers of Sport from Austria, Italy, Spain, and representatives from seven Members of the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL).
The campaign, which represents an important milestone in the involvement of world Professional Football in the global fight against hunger and poverty, will include the twenty-eight Member Leagues and Associate Members of EPFL representing more than 900 professional football clubs across Europe.
