ユニリーバとWFP　子どもの飢餓撲滅にむけパートナーシップ　（英文のみ）

Unilever and World Food Programme Join Forces in Fight against Child Hunger

Barcelona, 30 May 2006 – Unilever and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today announced a new partnership in the fight against child hunger. Unilever commits itself to provide expertise in nutrition and health as well as financial support to assist poor families in the developing world. The three-year partnership supports the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, specifically the first: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, and the second: Achieve universal primary education.

Vindi Banga, President Foods of Unilever, comments: “I am excited that Unilever will be able to use its capabilities to support the World Food Programme in combating child malnutrition, one of the major challenges facing the world today. This step fits in a long tradition of Unilever as a responsible company, firmly rooted in local communities all around the world. I am convinced that many of our 206,000 employees will be inspired by this partnership and the meaningful contribution we, as a leading company in foods and home and personal care, can make to society.”

The overall objective of the partnership is to feed poor children and their families and improve their nutritional health. Both organisations are highly concerned about the 300 million malnourished youngsters in the world, and in particular about school-age children. Unilever and WFP will focus their joint efforts on school feeding and nutrition education in schools, in addition to cause related marketing campaigns and employee engagement activities.

“This partnership makes perfect sense,” said James Morris, WFP’s Executive Director. “Starting last year with its assistance to WFP during the tsunami, and later in Niger, Unilever has demonstrated its commitment to helping the hungry. Now two major players in the food world, Unilever, one of the biggest food producers, and WFP, the largest humanitarian agency, are joining forces to battle against child hunger.”

WFP has more than 40 years’ experience in providing food assistance to an average 90 million people each year – including 61 million hungry children – in at least 80 of the world’s poorest countries. The agency has built up a unique knowledge of nutritional needs, has a vast logistical expertise as well as close ties with governments, non-governmental organisations and local communities.

Unilever brings to the partnership long-standing expertise in nutrition and health, product development and marketing. Unilever reaches a global consumer base and has proven its ability to develop sustainable delivery mechanisms to low income consumers in many different regions of the world. Unilever’s Family Goodness brand (which includes Blue Band and Rama) will be the first in Unilever to bring the partnership to life.