Charities including Oxfam and Save the Children are urging leaders attending the Olympics hunger summit this Sunday to leave a lasting legacy that tackles global hunger...

Following the global celebrations of achievements on the sporting field during the last weeks, as a human race achievements on tackling poverty and hunger need to aim for the highest standards too.

Close to a billion people experience the daily hardship of not having enough food to eat, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. And of those millions of people, 98 per cent of them live in developing countries...

That is clearly an unacceptable situation and one that needs to be put right...

This August 12, UK Prime Minister David Cameron is hosting a summit that hopes to challenge global leaders to increase their efforts on attacking hunger, especially among the world’s poorest children...

The global hunger event is billed as an opportunity for leaders, many of whom are in London right now for the games to tackle worldwide hunger by identifying better collaborations, investments and innovations to end malnutrition...

The event will be a finale to the Olympics and hopefully will attract as much interest as the various achievements and efforts of those who have taken part in the games...

Prime Minister David Cameron made the announcement early this year that the Olympics would be used to hopefully leave a positive legacy on hunger...

The charity Save the Children has been one of the most vocal supporters of this initiative and is urging the gathering to get to grips with shocking global statistics that include 300 children dying of malnutrition hourly...

Save the Children Chief Executive Justin Forsyth says:

"With over a hundred heads of state visiting the Olympics offers a unique opportunity to leave a global legacy beyond sport.

"By galvanising other world leaders, the private sector, charities, and the public, the Prime Minister can help save millions of children's lives, who are currently facing a daily battle with hunger.

"This is a fight the world can win and this is the time to act..."

In poor countries one in three children suffer permanent physical and mental damage because of malnutrition in their first few years...

Coinciding with the hunger event initiative a new global target to reduce the number of stunted children by 70 million by 2025 has been agreed by the World Health Assembly...

The bottom line is that cost-effective actions including investment in food aid and clean water; and investment in sustainable development like sanitation, education and economic development does save lives...

Will the leaders act? Charities such as Save the Children hope they will, because there is clearly more than gold medals at stake...