The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Wednesday named pop star, Yemi Alade, as its Goodwill Ambassador.
The UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner in a video shared on the official Twitter handle of the agency said “We can’t wait to hit the ground running with you, Yemi. We look forward to hearing and sharing the issues that you are passionate about — including women’s empowerment and tackling inequality.”
The Nigerian artiste in an appreciation video statement has vowed to lend her voice to the vulnerable including women after she took on a new role in the UN.
“It is an honour to be named UN goodwill ambassador to the UNDP programme, an agency whose core mission completely aligns with mine, to end poverty and to erase all forms of gender inequality.”
She also said she would focus on those suffering from the social-economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The singer said she was ready to offer innovative solutions to the different issues.
She said “Women are among the 4 billion people who are trying to survive Covid-19 without any form of social protection. Women are among the 4 billion people who are trying to survive Covid-19 without any form of social protection.”
“I want to lend my voice to these women and other vulnerable people who make up half of the world that’s struggling to make ends meet. They don’t have the luxury of working from home and are putting their health at risk just to put food on the table,” she said
The singer also added that countries must also be careful not to put climate change “on the back burner” as they plan to rebuild their economies after coronavirus.
“Climate change and poverty go hand-in-hand, and neither is gender-neutral. Women in developing countries, such as my homeland Nigeria, are disproportionately affected by both,” Alade said.
Alade, 31, joined a list of celebrities including actor Antonio Banderas and footballer Didier Drogba as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to raise awareness of poverty, inequality and climate change.
She gained global fame after becoming the first female Afro-pop artist to get more than 100 million views on YouTube, winning multiple music awards and featuring on Beyonce’s “The Lion King: The Gift” album last year.
