Registrations are open for the annual Hunger Run ten-km and five-km fundraiser event in Rome on Sunday 19 October, with proceeds going towards projects that help the poor to improve their ability to produce and access food.

The event to mark World Food Day on 16 October is organised by the United Nation’s Rome-based agencies The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the World Food Programme (WFP), as well as Biodiversity International, in collaboration with city authorities.

Organisers say the run has three objectives: to increase public awareness of the plight of more than 800 million people in the world who live in chronic hunger; raise funds to help hunger-affected communities meet their own food needs; to build connections between the people of Rome and the UN food agencies headquartered there.

Both the ten-km race (open only to athletes with a FIDAL membership card) and the non-competitive five km run or walk (open to all) take place in the historic centre, which will be closed to traffic.

It costs €10 to participate. Registration deadlines for the competitive race is 15 Oct while the participants in the non-competitive can register right up until the day of the event.

Runners begin assembling on Viale delle Terme di Caracalla from 08.30 and the race starts at 10.00 from the Caracalla stadium.

For full details see website.