On 5 August 1997, Mrs. Nane Annan, wife of then United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, designated Winnie the Pooh as Ambassador of Friendship on the occasion of International Day of Friendship.
The designation aimed at encouraging young people to learn what they could do to forge ties of friendship and understanding among different cultures to bring about peace and harmony around the world.
The character Winnie the Pooh was created by British author A.A. Milne in 1924 for a series of classic children’s stories focused on the adventures of a young boy, Christopher Robin, and his assortment of animal friends who, with their different strengths and weaknesses, help each other out of all kinds of mishaps.
The International Day of Friendship was proclaimed in 2011 by the United Nations General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.