People News
Nicole Kidman to champion women's rights as UN goodwill ambassador
Jan 26, 2006, 19:55 GMT
New York - Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman on Thursday was named a UN goodwill ambassador to campaign for women's rights and improvements in their lives.
Plans call for Kidman, 38, and the head of the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), Noeleen Heyzer, to travel around the world to raise awareness of pressing women's issues.
'This year, I am committed to educating myself further by travelling with Noeleen to meet with women, hear their stories and understand first-hand the issues they face,' Kidman told reporters at UN headquarters.
The two women plan to visit Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Afghanistan and Cambodia.
Kidman can reach 'an audience of enormous scale, lending her visibility and voice to make a difference in women's lives,' Heyzer said at UN headquarters in New York.
UNIFEM goals including ending domestic and sexual violence, female genital mutilation and other harmful traditional practices like honour killings in some societies that punish women who engaged in premarital sex or adultery. The agency also fights trafficking in women and girls.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
blog comments powered by DisqusLatest Headlines in People
- 1. Ben Fogle: Prince William's wedding 'reinvigorated' royal family
- 2. Verne Troyer trapped in airplane toilet
- 3. Sophie Monk saved Ray J's life?
- 4. Brooke Mueller returns to rehab
- 5. Gwyneth Paltrow's diaper dream
Older Talkback
