PRESS CONFERENCE ON ‘ARTISTS FOR THE UN’

PRESS CONFERENCE ON ‘ARTISTS FOR THE UN’

An initiative to encourage artists, entertainers, statesmen and stateswomen to publicly support the ideals, vision and mandate of the United Nations as the best organization to promote peace across the globe was launched at a press conference today at United Nations Headquarters.

The United Nations and Global Vision for Peace, a non-governmental organization, have joined forces to set up Artists for the UN -- a collection of artists and other public figures who will affirm the role and work of the United Nations.  Designer Xorin Balbes and producer-journalist HeathCliff Rothman created Global Vision for Peace last year.  The non-governmental organization supports causes such as the removal of landmines and tackling the AIDS pandemic.

At today’s briefing, Gillian Sorensen, UN Foundation Senior Adviser, said “The UN needs friends in all places.  And we know that people in the entertainment and artistic world have voices and abilities to reach much larger audiences and much younger audiences than, with all respect, perhaps some diplomats do”.  She expressed the hope that everyone, especially the entertainment world, would fully support this “very welcome experiment” and appreciate the efforts of the two co-founders.  She paid special tribute to actress Drew Barrymore –- present at the launch -- for the commitment and attention she had given to the effort.  Ms. Barrymore was the first artist to be named “A friend of the United Nations”.

Ms. Barrymore said that to be philanthropic was not as easy as one would want it to be, because the information and the resources were not as readily available as they should be.  Thus when one got the opportunity, it was all the more exciting because it was not a day wasted.  She said she hoped she would continue to be informed about what more she could do, because the initiative meant a lot to her.

Mr. Rothman said that in launching Global Vision for Peace at the start of the Iraqi war, he hoped to use the global reach of the Academy Awards to hold up the light of peace.  He believed that by bringing together artists in a collective voice to support the United Nations and support its missions globally was very powerful.  He also believed in the vision of supporting peace through the United Nations and in the power and voice of the artists, and was particularly proud to be launching the initiative with the support of many “wonderful people”.

Co-founder Xorin Balbes said that different films, books, concerts and other projects could highlight issues for the Organization by actually marrying them with the commitment of an artist.  The first initiative, a film, would be announced as early as the end of the month.  He said that project fitted in very well with the global HIV/AIDS issue on the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.

Actor Chris Cooper, who won the 2003 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, has confirmed he will wear the Dove of Peace pin at this year's Academy Awards ceremony, to be held on 29 February.  Later this year, the Audrey Hepburn Award will also be given to a “film artist who serves the higher cause of humanity and the ideal of global peace”.

The Dalai Lama, five Nobel Peace Prize laureates, several members of the United States Congress and such artists as Robert Altman, Susan Sarandon, Kurt Vonnegut and Yoko Ono are supporting the initiative.

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