Not just pretty faces! Stars who are UN ambassadors

Emma Watson has joined a long list of celebrities who are using their fame and stardom to promote social causes as a United Nations’ ambassador. Rediff.com presents a few of the celebs who have lent themselves to a good cause. 

British Actress Emma Watson, best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movie series, has been appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women. The UN Women is dedicated to issues of gender equality and empowerment of women.

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Angelina Jolie is a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. After years of dedicated service to UNHCR and the cause of refugees, she was designated with the title in April 2012.

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Charlize Theron, an Oscar winner, is a United Nations messenger of peace with a special focus on prevention of HIV and the elimination of violence against women. 

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The Victoria’s Secret supermodel Gisele Bundchen is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Program. Bundchen was designated in 2009 and since then she has been helping the UN to call attention to environmental issues. 

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The Dark Horse pop singer is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund. Katy Perry was appointed by the United Nations Children’s Fund in December 2013, with a special focus on engaging young people in efforts to improve the lives of the world's most vulnerable children and adolescents.

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Nicole Kidman is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. Kidman was appointed in January 2006. 

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Actress Sarah Jessica Parker has been a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1997.  Heavily involved in HIV/AIDS prevention and education, she started the UNICEF HIV/AIDS Innovation Fund in 2011.  In addition, she has participated in numerous campaigns held by UNICEF dealing with the HIV/AIDS crisis.

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Shakira is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund. The United Nations labour agency honoured the internationally-acclaimed recording artist and humanitarian for her efforts to promote the advancement of children and youth worldwide in March 2010. 

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In January 2007, Queen Rania was named UNICEF’s first Eminent Advocate for Children. In August 2009, Queen Rania became Honorary Global Chair of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative.

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Selena Gomez, the former Disney star, was appointed a UNICEF Ambassador in September 2009. As a UNICEF Ambassador, Selena has played an active role in advocating for the world’s most vulnerable children by participating in numerous campaigns, events, and initiatives on behalf of the US Fund for UNICEF.

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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was appointed as an international goodwill ambassador in 2012. She helps raise awareness on issues related to stopping new HIV infections in children and advocate for increased access to antiretroviral treatment. Her father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan has campaigned for pulse polio awareness.

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George Clooney is a United Nations messenger of peace with a special focus on peacekeeping. He was designated with the title in 2008. 

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Lara Dutta was made a United Nations Population Fund Goodwill Ambassador in 2001, the year following her Miss Universe win. She has used her role to represent Indian women and be a “voice for those whose voices are not strong enough to be heard by the global community”.

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David Beckham is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund. The international football legend has supported UNICEF since 2005.

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Former world number one Maria Sharapova is one of the most beautiful women in tennis. She was named a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador in 2007. The UNDP focuses on poverty reduction, HIV/AIDS, democratic governance, energy and environment, and crisis prevention and recovery. 

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Orlando Bloom has supported UNICEF’s efforts since 2007, when he visited schools in the poorest areas of Nepal. The UN recognised his advocacy by naming him a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2009.