Nicole Kidman receives award for work with UN on women's rights

Nicole Kidman, who was appointed as the Women Goodwill Ambassador by the UN to promote women's rights worldwide, has been honoured with a humanitarian award from the Cinema for Peace Foundation for her contributions.

The actress was received the award along with UN Women Acting Head Lakshmi Puri at an evening event in Berlin, Germany, whose government is among UN Women's leading donors, on Friday.

"Women represent half of humanity, and of its potential. Yet around the world women are still deprived of a life free from discrimination and violence. We applaud the establishment of UN Women as a global champion for women and girls," the Board of the Cinema for Peace Foundation in its decision to honour UN Women and its Goodwill Ambassador said.

"Nicole Kidman has helped give a voice to countless women who are survivors of gender-based violence. She is a role model for others."

A strong focus of her efforts has been on ending violence against women.

Kidman has served as the international spokesperson for UN Women's "Say NO - UNiTE to End Violence against Women" initiative, and has travelled to meet with survivors of sexual violence and raise attention to this pervasive human rights violation worldwide.

Speaking on the issue and her engagement as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, Kidman said: "I have learned much about the horrific scope of violence against women around the world and seen its devastating impact."

"When I first learned that one in three women and girls experience violence in their lifetime, I was utterly shocked. Much of my work for UN Women has since been dedicated to this issue," she said.

Meanwhile, Puri also expressed her appreciation for the Foundation's work and award, stressing the need for strong partnerships in light of the persistent challenges for women's empowerment and gender equality.