Michael Douglas
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) meets with actor Michael Douglas, United Nations Messenger of Peace, at United Nations Headquarters in New York City in March 2007.Photo Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten
The internationally known Academy Award-winning actor and producer from the United States has served as a United Nations Messenger of Peace since 1998. Mr. Douglas is fiercely committed to disarmament issues, including nuclear nonproliferation and halting the global trade in small arms and light weapons. He focuses public awareness on United Nations’ efforts to strengthen peace and security by speaking publicly for greater controls on the illegal possession and circulation of small arms and light weapons. Mr. Douglas’ work as a Messenger has also helped the United Nations bring attention to the plight of child soldiers by hosting a documentary filmed in Sierra Leone that was part of a United Nations/Showtime ten-part series titled “What’s Going On?”
Message of Solidarity with the people of Japan
Michael Douglas joined Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and a number of other United Nations Messengers of Peace and Goodwill Ambassadors in recording video messages of solidarity with the people of Japan in the wake of the 11 March earthquake and tsunami. The messages were played to affected populations via national Japanese broadcast partners, online partners, UNICs and the UN's social media channels.
UN Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas Speaks on Nuclear Disarmament
UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras
Michael Douglas spoke at the inauguration of the “Cities are not targets (CANT)” exhibit in the General Assembly Hall on 24 March 2011. The exhibit displays a petition assembled by Mayors for Peace, with over one million signatures from people all over the world, which calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The UN Messenger of Peace spoke along side Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Sergio Duarte and three atomic bomb survivors from Japan and Korea.