FORTY-FOUR PROMINENT MESSENGERS OF PEACE AND GOODWILL AMBASSADORS TO MEET AT HEADQUARTERS, 18 – 19 JUNE

FORTY-FOUR PROMINENT MESSENGERS OF PEACE AND GOODWILL AMBASSADORS

TO MEET AT HEADQUARTERS, 18 – 19 JUNE

Forty-four prominent United Nations Messengers of Peace and Goodwill Ambassadors –- from the worlds of art, music, film, sports, literature and public affairs who help raise awareness of key United Nations issues and activities -– will meet for the second time at United Nations Headquarters on 18 and 19 June 2002. 

The celebrity advocates who are attending speak out for the United Nations and nine of its offices, funds and programmes on issues ranging from fighting poverty, HIV/AIDS and intolerance, to improving the status of women, promoting educational and employment opportunities for youth, and protection for vulnerable groups, such as children and refugees. 

The Secretary-General has invited them this time to participate in a series of workshops, to share information on the priorities of the United Nations system and to enlist their support for lending greater impetus to the Millennium Development Goals campaign. 

The two-day programme entitled “Celebrity Advocacy for the New Millennium” will therefore include an opening session followed by a series of sequential workshops focusing on the priorities Member States have set up in the Millennium Declaration and which will guide the work of the Organization for the coming years. 

Those expected to participate include:

Messengers of Peace: (appointed by the Secretary-General):  Vijay Amritraj, Tennis champion, sportscaster and media executive (India); Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, writer and professor (USA).

Goodwill Ambassadors:  United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): Danny Glover, actor and human rights activist (United States); Her Royal Highness Queen Inkhositaki La Motsa, activist (Swaziland); Eusebio Leal, historian (Cuba); Dikembe Mutombo professional basketball player (Democratic Republic of Congo); Kaltouma Nadjina, track and field athlete (Chad); David Rudder, musician (Trinidad and Tobago).

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA):  Kattis Ahlstrom, journalist (Sweden); Yuko Arimori, Olympic medallist-marathon runner (Japan); Shabana Azmi,

actress, member of Indian Parliament (India); Mary Banotti, member of European

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Parliament (Ireland); Lara Dutta, former Miss Universe, actress and model, (India); Safia El-Emary, actress (Egypt); Wendy Fitzwilliam, former Miss Universe (Trinidad and Tobago); Catarina Furtado, actress (Portugal); Feryal Ali Gauhar, actress/film maker (Pakistan); Linda Gray, actress, environmental activist (United States); Geri Halliwell, singer, entertainment personality (United Kingdom);

Her Royal Highness Princess Basma Bint Talal, global activist (Jordan); Hanne-Vibeke Holst, author and journalist (Denmark); Kari Jacquesson, fitness personality (Sweden); Mikko Kuustonen, singer, songwriter (Finland); Mpule Kwelagobe, former Miss Universe (Botswana); Goedele Liekens, media personality (Belgium); Dr. Chea Samnang, medical doctor and actor (Cambodia); Alexander Sanger, activist, Chair of International Planned Parenthood (United States); Rosy Senanayake, actress, former Miss World (Sri Lanka).

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF):  Lino Banfi, actor (Italy); Harry Belafonte, singer, actor (United States); Judy Collins, singer (United States); Johann Olav Koss, Olympic champion speed skater (Norway); Leon Lai, singer (People's Republic of China); Simona Marchini, actress, singer and manager of Contemporary Art Gallery (Italy); Roger Moore, actor (United Kingdom); Nana Mouskouri, singer (Greece); Sir Peter Ustinov, actor (United Kingdom).

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR):

Adel Imam, actor (Egypt); Angelina Jolie, actress (United States); Arja Saijonmaa, singer (Finland).

United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNODCCP):

Al Bano Carrisi, singer (Italy).

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS):  Mechai Viravaidya, Senator, Chairman, Population and Community Development Association (Thailand).

World Food Programme (WFP):  George McGovern, former Senator and Ambassador, political leader and former presidential candidate (United States).

United Nations Volunteers (UNV):  Takehito Nakata, volunteer/activist (Japan).

Opening Session and Workshops

The Secretary-General will open the session and welcome the Messengers of Peace and Goodwill Ambassadors.  As an introduction to the programme, nine Messengers of Peace and Goodwill Ambassadors representing different United Nations funds and programmes will recount one of their most striking and rewarding experiences as advocates for the United Nations.  The opening session, scheduled to take place in the Economic and Social Council Chamber from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., will be open to the media.  Following this will be a series of workshops closed to the media which will focus on the Millennium Development Goals; Advocacy in Action; Forgotten Emergencies -- Giving a Voice to the Voiceless; The fight against HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other Infectious Diseases; Poverty Eradication -- Achieving the Millennium Goals; In support of United Nations Environment and

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Sustainable Development Goals; Peacekeeping and Politics at the United Nations.  At the end of the morning programme the Secretary-General will host a private luncheon.

Media Arrangements

Media stakeouts will be arranged for coverage of the participants by the second floor Delegates Lounge, on Tuesday morning, 18 June, at 9 a.m.  A brief photo opportunity for the press is being organized immediately following the morning programme.  For stakeout positions and pool arrangements, contact the United Nations Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit (see accreditation, below).

The United Nations Department of Public Information will cover the activities.  The opening session will be webcast live and accessible via the United Nations Web site at www.un.org/advocates.  The programme will be accessible in other languages at the following Web sites:

http://www.un.org/arabic/events/advocates/

http://www.un.org/chinese/events/advocates/

http://www.un.org/french/events/advocates/

http://www.un.org/russian/events/advocates/

http://www.un.org/spanish/conferences/events/advocates/

To obtain UNTV coverage, call (1-212) 963-7650.

Media Accreditation

Media wishing to cover events at United Nations Headquarters must have  press credentials issued by the United Nations.  To obtain those press credentials, journalists must submit a request for United Nations access on   their organizations’ letterhead to:  United Nations Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit, fax: (1-212) 963-4642 (to verify receipt of fax, please call

(1-212) 963-6934/7164).

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