ACTRESS CLAUDIA CARDINALE NAMED UNESCO GOODWILL AMBASSADOR
Paris, March 7 {No.2000-18} - The actress Claudia Cardinale was named UNESCO
Goodwill Ambassador by the Organization's Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura
"in recognition of her commitment in favour of UNESCO's programmes dedicated
to improving the lives of women and young girls through education, as well
as the promotion and affirmation of their rights."
At the nomination ceremony, on the eve of International Women's Day,
Mr Matsuura declared that the new Goodwill Ambassador's mission will focus
"on everything that can contribute to improving the lives of women and young
girls in the 21st century: help them acquire knowledge, information needed
to take part in all areas and levels of social activity, particularly in the
processes and structures where policies are determined and implemented; help
them, especially the most underprivileged, have access to quality basic
education, to social services and to credit which may enable them to push
back the frontiers of poverty and exploitation and lead them to greater
autonomy."
Mr Matsuura went on to praise Ms Cardinale's talent as an artist of
world renown and saluted "the woman who has led an indefatigable fight
against poverty, intolerance, and human rights violations, especially
affecting marginalised women and children." The Director-General described
the mission of Goodwill Ambassadors. He declared that UNESCO was one of
those international organisations which are "little known, even little loved
by the media and public opinion" because their action takes place in the
medium or long term and does not have an immediate or spectacular impact on
daily life. Mr Matsuura insisted on the inestimable role that Goodwill
Ambassadors could have in mobilising the public "so as to associate it to
this collective effort to bring more justice to the world."
In her acceptance speech, Ms Cardinale spoke of her international
roots, "African by birth, of Italian nationality and French through my
upbringing". She then insisted on her desire "to be ever attentive to the
needs of women and to fight relentlessly for their rights." She added: "it
is with passion that I will face this mission at the service of improving
the fate of women and of young girls."
During her career, which began in the 1960s with films such as Rocco
and His Brothers, 81/2, and The Leopard, Ms Cardinale has won many awards,
including the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival (1963); the Golden
Shell of the Festival of San Sebastian (1967); and the Golden Lion of the
Venice Festival (1994).
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