“To celebrate the arrival of our first child, we hope that, in his name, other less privileged children in the world can have their basic needs covered through gifts and donations,” reads the invitation from Mr. Piqué and Shakira, who also serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. “Thank you for sharing this unforgettable moment with us.”

The online baby shower will allow fans to ‘visit’ the couple’s virtual living room, where they can learn about the issue of child survival and purchase a so-called UNICEF Inspired Gift to help give babies around the world a healthy start to life. The gifts, which can be purchased for as little as $5, are life-saving items that will be distributed to children and communities in some of the poorest corners of the globe.

A $5 gift can buy a mosquito net to ensure a sleeping child stays safe from malaria, one of the leading causes of child death worldwide, according to the UN agency. Other gifts include 17 polio vaccines for $10 that will protect children from contracting the incurable infection, baby-weighing scales to monitor growth in the first critical years of life, and therapeutic food, which consists of a peanut-based paste that can save an acutely malnourished child.

“Every expectant parent around the world shares all the same hopes and dreams for their children that we do,” Shakira said in a UNICEF news release. “Yet many don’t share the same opportunities. Together we know we can change that.”

According to UNICEF figures, some 19,000 children under the age of five still die every day from largely preventable causes. While under-five mortality has dropped from nearly 12 million in 1990 to less than 6.9 million in 2011, much more remains to be done, the agency said in the news release.

Social media fans who participate in the virtual baby shower will be welcomed by a personal video message from Shakira and Mr. Piqué. After purchasing a UNICEF Inspired Gift, they will receive a personal thank you message from the couple. Additionally, the website’s photo gallery includes recent photos of the couple that, until now, had not been shared publicly.

“Our partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has helped save millions of lives worldwide across decades of collaboration,” said WFP’s Executive Director, Ertharin Cousin, as she wrapped up a two-day visit to the Kingdom.

She noted that Saudi Arabia has been extremely generous to WFP with a historic pledge of $500 million to feed the millions of people affected by the food crisis that hit the world in 2008, the agency said in a news release.

During the visit, her first to the Gulf region since she assumed her position in April, Cousin met with the Crown Prince, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who serves as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence.

She expressed her gratitude and appreciation for King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and for the generosity and the long-standing partnership between the country and WFP in fighting hunger around the world.

WFP honoured King Abdullah in 2009 for his generous support of the agency’s work with its highest award by naming him ‘Champion in the Battle Against Hunger.’

Saudi Arabia contributes over 4,000 metric tons of dates to WFP annually, in addition to responding to emergency funding appeals in troubled spots around the world. The agency has received over $1 billion from the Kingdom to fight hunger since the early 1960s.

Cousin also met with the Minister of Agriculture, Fahd Bin Abdulrahman Bin Sulaiman Balghunaim, and discussed with him shared interests in WFP’s response to emergencies in the region, and especially Yemen, Syria and the occupied Palestinian territory.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia values the partnership that we have with WFP and we will continue to work together collaboratively so no child goes hungry across the globe,” said the Minister.

In addition, Ms. Cousin briefed several senior government officials on the food security situation in the region and WFP operations worldwide.