Feryal
Ali Gauhar
 |
Actress
and filmmaker Feryal Ali Gauhar (Pakistan) was appointed UNFPA Goodwill
Ambassador for her country in 1999. Trained as a political economist, her
filmmaking concentrates on development issues, with a special focus on women
and children. Her television roles have always highlighted the position
of women in a feudal society.
In her work with UNFPA, Ms. Gauhar has focused on violence and crimes against
womenwith a special emphasis on "honour killings". Ms. Gauhar
trains the civil service in gender sensitization and addresses public forums
around the country. She works with rural communities as well as the urban
poor and will be working with the police and the judiciary in the area of
violence towards women.
|
Danny
Glover
 |
Internationally
acclaimed actor and human rights crusader Danny Glover (USA) was appointed
Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Development Programme in 1998 and has focused
his efforts on helping raise public awareness about UNDP's mission to confront
global poverty. His commitment to human rights is exemplified by his personal
involvement in the fight against apartheid in South Africa and his efforts
to protect the rights of minorities in the United States.
Since taking on his duties as Goodwill Ambassador, Mr. Glover has traveled
to Egypt, Haiti, Israel, Mali, Namibia, Senegal, South Africa and to focus
on how communities in developing countries are overcoming obstacles to a
better life. He visited UNDP-programmes that enable women to build their
own homes, give people new job skills, and provide small loans to help poor
people set up their own businesses. In each country, he met with top government
officials who are working together on national poverty-eradication strategies.
Mr. Glover has also joined the fight against HIV/AIDS, giving speeches and
submitting testimony on this issue before the U.S. Congress. |
Haile
GebrSelassie
 |
Haile
GebrSelassie (Ethiopia) became UNDP National Goodwill Ambassador for his
country in 1999. A world champion athlete, Mr. GebrSelassie took the Gold
Medal in the 10,000-meter race for the second time at the Sydney Olympic
Games in September. Mr. GebrSelassie, has broken or re-broken 15 world records
in his career. He has not lost a 10,000-meter race since 1993, or a 5,000-meter
since 1996. He is the subject of a documentary entitled Endurance that has
been distributed around the world. As UNDP's National Goodwill Ambassador
in Ethiopia, Mr. GebrSelassie led the 1998 "Run Against Poverty"
programme organized by UNDP in collaboration with the Ethiopian Sports Federation
for the Disabled. |
Linda
Gray
 |
Actress
Linda Gray (USA), best known for her role on the long-running television
show, Dallas, is chairperson of UNFPA's Face to Face Campaign, which seeks
to raise awareness of the plight of women who have been denied basic human-rights,
including reproductive health care and family planning. Ms. Gray visited
Nicaragua in 1997 to record a television programme for UNFPA on teen pregnancy.
She has also made several public service announcements for the Fund. Active
in the campaign since her appointment as Goodwill Ambassador in 1998, Ms.
Gray has participated in White House and Congressional events related to
building a U.S. constituency for international family planning as well as
environmental issues by giving speeches to environmental and family planning
groups in the United States. |
Geri
Halliwell
 |
Geri
Halliwell (United Kingdom) was appointed UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador for her
country in 1998. She promotes UNFPA's international advocacy campaign for
reproductive health care, gender equality and the empowerment of women throughout
the world. She will be working in partnership with Marie Stopes International
and Population Concern in the United Kingdom as part of UNFPA's Face to
Face Campaign to raise concern about reproductive health and rights, especially
for women.
Ms. Halliwell traveled to the Philippines last year on behalf of UNFPA and
spoke to young people about the importance of responsible sexual behaviour.
As a result of her visit, the government announced it was changing its policy
on family planning. She addressed a model UN summit for young people from
all over Europe in London in April 2000. She is also an advocate for breast
cancer awareness.
|
Hanne-Vibeke
Holst
 |
Author and journalist
Hanne-Vibeke Holst (Denmark) was appointed UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and
Face to Face Campaign spokesperson for her country in 1998. A best-selling
fiction writer, Ms. Holst's novels deal with modern women balancing their
new options with their old probleMs. In her home country, Ms. Holst is known
and respected as an outspoken advocate for women's rights as for building
a global, common conscience in the 21st century. She serves on the Board
of Governors of the Danish Family Planning Association and is a member of
the Danish UNESCO National Commission. |
Adel
Imam
 |
Egypt's film superstar
Adel Imam, whose credits include more than 105 movies and nine plays, is
one of the best-known actors in the Arab world. In a rich career spanning
30 years, he has portrayed - with humor - victims of injustice, poverty,
corruption, fanaticism, and dictatorship.
An advocate of human dignity, tolerance, democracy and human rights, his
values as an artist are those promoted by UNHCR in its every day protection
to refugees, assistance to victims of persecution or wars, and its search
for solutions to their dilemma. He was appointed UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador
in 2001, and visited refugee camps in many Arab countries, focusing public
attention on their squalid and unbearable conditions. Imam also participated
in a documentary film aimed at replenishing the fund of UNHCR. |
Kari
Jaquesson
 |
Kari Jaquesson is Norway's
leading fitness personality. She has been a fitness professional since she
was twenty years old, founding and managing her own fitness facility in
Oslo since 1983. In addition to traveling all over Norway conducting workshops,
guest classes and lectures for fitness centers and corporations, she has
been featured daily as the "come and get up!" motivator of "Good
Morning Norway" on Norwegian TV2 since 1994. She stars in primetime
entertainment shows, and makes food and lifestyle prograMs. Ms. Jaquesson
is the creator and star of four best selling fitness videos, and she also
released several health tips books.
As a Face to Face Campaign spokesperson, she believes in every human being's
right to healthcare and, especially, in a woman's right to carry and deliver
babies safely. |
Angelina
Jolie
 |
Academy Award and three-time
Golden Globe winner Angelina Jolie was appointed as UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador
in 2001.
Since her appointment, Ms. Jolie made arduous field visits to meet with
refugees in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Côte d'Ivoire, Cambodia, Pakistan,
Namibia and Thailand. She released diaries that she kept during her visits
to Sierra Leone and Tanzania on the internet to publicize the work of UNHCR.
|
Johann
Olav Koss
|
Winner of three Olympic
Gold medals at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, speed skater Johann Olav Koss
(Norway) was named UNICEF Special Representative for Sports in 1994. Mr.
Koss has been a highly visible advocate for UNICEF's work on behalf of children
everywhere, emphasizing the particular needs of disabled children and those
affected by war. He has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of children
around the world-in Bosnia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Vietnam-by introducing
them to sports.
In 1994, Mr. Koss retired from speed skating, yet his humanitarian efforts
have not slowed down. In 2001 and 2002, he continued to support the work
of several National Committees. In May, he attended several functions of
the Special Session on Children, and spoke at workshops on Early Child Care
and on the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization. He is also Chairperson
of Olympic Aid, a humanitarian organization that provides relief for children
in war-torn countries. |
Mikko
Kuustonen
 |
Singer and songwriter
Mikko Kuustonen (Finland) has developed a worldwide reputation in more than
20 years in the music business and was named UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador in
1998He serves as a spokesperson for UNFPA's Face to Face Campaign as well
asfor the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Vaestoliitto
(the Family Federation of Finland) and 18 other European non-governmental
organizations. The campaign aims to build support for increased funding
for reproductive health services for women and to publicize the plight of
millions of women denied basic human rights, including family planning and
other health services.
In 1999, Mr. Kuustonen completed a ten-part television documentary series,
which traces the lives of ten different women around the world, including
those of two UNFPA Goodwill Ambassadors Waris Dirie and Shabana Azmi. In
2000, he brought national public attention to HIV/AIDS and other issues
of concern to women and youth in two television productions marking International
Women's Day.
Much of the inspiration for Mr. Kuustonen's music comes from his involvement
|
Mpule
Kwelagobe
 |
Mpule Kwelagobe, 1999
Miss Universe from Botswana, was appointed UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador in
1999 as a special advocate on the issue of HIV/AIDS, particularly in relation
to adolescents. She has long been an active supporter of UNFPA. As a teenager,
Ms. Kwelagobe was part of a UNFPA-funded project called Peer Approach Counseling
by Teenagers (PACT) at her local high school, aimed at teaching students
about reproductive health through peer discussion.
She has set up her own foundation to raise funds for HIV-related work, including
the Mpule Kwelagobe Children's Village, which will be home to some 400 children
affected or infected by HIV.
Ms. Kwelagobe has lobbied the U.S. Congress for better funding to fight
HIV/AIDS in Africa and greater funding for UNFPA family planning programmes.
She recently joined Ambassador Richard Holbrooke , to testify before the
U.S. Congress on the scale of the epidemic in Africa. In addition, she helped
launch the African Youth Alliance in Botswana, a UNFPA-supported anti-HIV/AIDS
initiative, and at the Third United Nations Conference on Least Developed
Countries, she spoke of the impact of HIV/AIDS on her country to highlight
the impact of the deadly disease on least developed countries. |
Leon
Lai
 |
One of Hong Kong's most
popular male singers and actors, Leon Lai was designated UNICEF Ambassador
in 1994, and UNICEF Special Representative to Youth in 1995. Since then,
he has actively been participating in various fundraising activities of
the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (HKCU), including charity concerts, and
walkathons. Together with the representatives of HKCU, Leon Lai visited
Rwanda, the Gausu Province of China, and Brazil, to conduct an in-depth
study of UNICEF missions in the region, to convey the message of Help UNICEF
Help Children to the public. |
Goedele
Liekens
 |
A well-known media
personality in Belgium and host of a popular television show on social and
relationship issues, Goedele Liekens was appointed UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador
and Face to Face Campaign spokesperson for her country in 1999. A successful,
practicing psychologist-sexologist, she has made the understanding and improvement
of human sexuality and relationships the focus of her professional life.
Ms. Liekens writes on the situation of women in developing countries.
In 2001, she visited Botswana and witnessed the effects of HIV/AIDS there.
She then reported what she had witnessed at the United Nations Conference
on Least Developed Countries, held in May 2001 in Brussels, and to the Belgian
Parliament. She campaigns for concrete actions to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS.
In 2002, she witnessed and reported on Afghan women's health needs and how
UNFPA is helping. |
Enrico
Macias
 |
Appointed Messenger
of Peace in 1997, singer-composer Enrico Macias (France) is a human rights
activist, supporting many NGOs and humanitarian grass roots movements. His
music reflects his strong commitment to the promotion of human rights, peace
and tolerance, and draws attention to the plight of refugees around the
globe. Born in Algeria, Mr. Macias knows the refugee's pain of the loss
of country, family and friends. He left his country as a refugee and emmigrated
to France more than 30 years ago. In 1979, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
invited Mr. Macias to perform a peace concert in Egypt soon after Egypt
and Israel had signed their historic peace treaty. |
Simona
Marchini
 |
Actress, singer and
manager of the contemporary art gallery "La nuova pesa," Simona
Marchini has been active on the cultural and artistic scenes in Rome since
the 60s, promoting cultural events and organizing opera performances in
various Italian theatres and cities. As an actress, she is well known for
both her RAI-TV programmes, and for her role in some of the major theatrical
successes of the past 20 years, such as "Rugantino."
Marchini was appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1987, and has promoted
various cultural activities and gala events to benefit UNICEF. She formed
a group of artists supporting UNICEF, and produced radio and television
spots to support fundraising campaigns. In 1998, she traveled to Benin and
Togo. Upon her return, she launched successful fundraising campaigns, and
produced a RAI documentary on both countries. |
George
McGovern
|
Throughout his career,
Former U.S. Senator and decorated war veteran George McGovern worked tirelessly
to improve the availability and the quality of food worldwide. As the first
director of the United States Food for Peace Program appointed by President
John F. Kennedy in 1961, he was instrumental in founding the World Food
Programme.
In 2001, he was appointed Global Ambassador for Hunger on behalf of the
World Food Programme. In order to eradicate hunger and poverty, McGovern
focuses on children and mothers. Recently, he published a book entitled
"Ending World Hunger in Our Time," in which he lays out a strategy
to end global hunger by focusing on programmes that feed and educate poor
children. |
Roger
Moore
 |
Roger Moore, CBE, the
popular British film, television and stage actor, is perhaps best known
for his portrayal of Simon Templar in The Saint, and as secret agent James
Bond in internationally successful television shows and filMs. He began
fighting for children's rights when he was appointed as UNICEF Special Representative
for the Film Arts in 1991. In view of his outstanding service on behalf
of the world's children, Moore was subsequently named UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Moore has represented UNICEF at numerous events and field missions, and
has worked tirelessly on UNICEF's behalf. He serves as honorary chairman
of the UNICEF/Kiwanis International Campaign to Eliminate Iodine Deficiency
Disorders (IDD). In the past year, he promoted the Global Movement for Children
and Say Yes for Children campaigns, and was a very active participant in
the United Nations Special Session on Children. |
Nana
Mouskouri
 |
Singer and humanitarian
Nana Mouskouri (Greece) was appointed UNICEF Special Representative for
the Performing Arts in 1993, and has actively supported UNICEF through concerts
and field trips to Africa, Asia and Latin America. She has visited schools,
health and education projects, and spoken out for child rights through the
media and in meetings with government officials. Ms. Mouskouri has given
many concerts to benefit UNICEF, including a special concert in Kenya as
part of a private sector fundraising initiative and in Guatemala, where
she also presented the annual Communications Award to journalists recognized
for their coverage of child-related issues.
Ms. Mouskouri participated in several fundraising events for National Committees,
and gave a concert in Morocco to support girls education projects. In addition,
she helps promote UNICEF fundraising and greeting cardcampaigns in Europe
and Northern America. |
Dikembe
Mutombo
 |
Philadelphia 76er basketball
star and UNDP's First Youth Emissary since 1999, Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic
Republic of the Congo) has long been dedicated to improving the health,
education and quality of life for people in his country through the Dikembe
Mutombo Foundation that he created in 1997.
As a Youth Emissary, Mr. Mutombo has made four trips to Africa in five years.
His unwavering dedication to eradicate childhood diseases, which takes the
lives of Congolese childrendaily, has further ignited his ambition to fight
poverty. He has hosted basketball "clinics" for as many as 2,000
children throughout Africa.
Dikembe Mutombo's charitable contributions include providing funds for the
women's basketball team of the Congo, supporting troubled students, visiting
children at local hospitals, and encouraging parents to immunize their children
against polio.
In 1998, his humanitarian work was honored by the U.S. Congress. |
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