TODAY: First ever Hollywood, Bollywood and Nollywood Joint Campaign Action: Protest at United Nations to End Hunger

NEW YORK, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

As President Bush and world leaders gather in New York for the opening of the 62nd General Assembly of the United Nations, 854 million people in the world are hungry. For example, in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, one of the world's poorest people -- the Musahars (literally 'rat eaters') -- are sometimes so destitute that they eat rats to survive.


Bollywood star Shabana Azmi, will join Hollywood's Tim Meadows, and Nollywood (Nigerian cinema) star, Hilda Dokubo, to protest the plight of the world's hungry at 2:00pm on Tuesday, September 25th at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York City as part of the international anti-poverty agency, ActionAid's, HungerFREE campaign.


Shabana Azmi, one of the leading actresses of Indian cinema and social activist, said:


"India's economy is booming, but not for the poorest where one in four people go to bed hungry every night."


Added Azmi, "There are 854 million hungry people in the world today -- 54 million more than when the world leaders pledged to halve hunger in 2000. I am here in New York to join the ActionAid HungerFREE campaign to make sure that the world leaders attending the United Nations assembly are not allowed to ignore this failure."


Actor/comedian Tim Meadows, best known for his starring roles on Saturday Night Live and TBS' The Bill Engvall Show, said:


"I am very proud to be part of ActionAid's HungerFREE campaign -- calling for world action to end hunger."


Hilda Dokubo, an award-winning Nigerian actress and social activist with over one hundred and twenty movies to her credit, said:


"We are here to demand our leaders take urgent action to start delivering on their commitment to halve hunger by 2015. I have already met with the Nigerian mission here in New York, and the campaign has met with over 35 other countries' missions. We will be keeping the pressure up until we have a world free of hunger."


ActionAid is calling for all United Nations countries to support the right to food resolution to be adopted at the General Assembly. The United States is the only country that has consistently opposed it.


Dag Hammarskjorld Plaza is located at 47th Street and 1st Avenue in Manhattan, New York, across from the United Nations.


B-roll is available of the Musahars' and other people's struggles with hunger in Uganda and Brazil.


ActionAid is an international anti-poverty agency working in over 40 countries, taking sides with poor people to end poverty and injustice together. For more information, www.actionaid.org.


Media Contacts:

Sandy Krawitz, + 1 202-492-7207 sandy.krawitz@actionaid.org

Kate Nustedt, +1 347-744-2182 kate.nustedt@actionaid.org

Alexandre Polack, +1 347-605-8711 alexandre.polack@actionaid.org


Source: ActionAid International USA

CONTACT: Sandy Krawitz, + 1 202-492-7207 sandy.krawitz@actionaid.org,
Kate Nustedt, +1 347-744-2182 kate.nustedt@actionaid.org, or Alexandre Polack,
+1 347-605-8711 alexandre.polack@actionaid.org, all of ActionAid International
USA