UN TAPS ARMANI
FOR ABASSADOR POST
Copyright 2002 Associated Press Ltd
[ May 28th 2002 ]
Italian
fashion designer Giorgio Armani will become the
United Nations' latest celebrity ambassador at
a ceremony in his home country, the U.N. refugee
agency said Tuesday. Ruud Lubbers, the U.N. high
commissioner for refugees, said he was proud to
appoint Armani as a goodwill ambassador for the
agency, which cares for some 20 million people
worldwide.
The UNHCR
said the designer was chosen for his "significant
contribution during the Afghan refugee emergency.
"I was impressed by Giorgio Armani's rapid and
effective mobilization of his company's resources
to help Afghan refugees," Lubbers said in a statement.
"He was active on several fronts, including fund
raising and drawing public attention to the crisis."
The Giorgio Armani Christmas campaign for Afghan
refugees included a "substantial donation" to
UNHCR.
The Armani
group also sponsored advertisements, sold specially
designed sweatshirts for UNHCR, and asked its
clients to make donations to the agency. Since
1954, when the late comedian Danny Kaye became
the first goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Children's
Fund, celebrities from the arts, sports and public
life have traveled around the world promoting
the work of the United Nations.
Current
ambassadors include boxing great Muhammad Ali,
actors Angelina Jolie and Michael Douglas, and
French soccer star Zinedine Zidane.
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