Italian pop star Laura Pausini named WFP Goodwill Ambassador

Rome, July 11 (IANS/AKI) Award-winning Italian singer Laura Pausini will be on Thursday become Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations World Food Programme, the agency said in a statement on Wednesday, calling her "a role model both on and off stage".

"Laura's amazing music reaches millions of people around the world - people from all cultures, countries, religions and regions," said WFP Executive Director David Beasley.

"Her incredible voice will now speak up for the hungry and the vulnerable, and we at WFP are excited about the chance to work with her on behalf of the 90 million people we serve," he added.

An internationally renowned singer and songwriter whose career has spanned 25 years, Pausini, who has won some of the most prestigious music awards, including a Grammy, three Latin Grammys, four Lo Nuestro and six World Music Awards, said: "I am deeply honoured to take on this role with WFP.

"WFP is a major player on the international scene, and I know how committed it is to ending world hunger by 2030. I am sure that extraordinary projects will emerge from this collaboration and I look forward to supporting WFP any way I can."

Pausini has championed WFP's work by supporting several fundraising initiatives and campaigns, including the #ZeroHunger campaign launched in 2015 and a charity concert held in Jordan's ancient city of Petra in 2008, whose proceeds were donated to a joint project in Afghanistan between WFP and the UN refugee agency UNHCR, WFP said.

"The singer is a role model both on and off stage," WFP stated.

In her role as WFP Goodwill Ambassador, Pausini will travel to visit some of the 76,000 schools involved in the WFP school meals programme, and will meet some of the children and women WFP helps, the agency said.

A total of 815 million people in the world go to bed on an empty stomach each night, WFP said.

Pausini will also "use her powerful voice" to showcase WFP's work and engage her millions of fans in the battle to eliminate hunger, the agency added.

"We are very proud that Laura is joining us in the fight against hunger. Her extraordinary ability to use music to express emotions and the role model she represents for women around the world will be crucial to shed light on the key role women play in reaching a Zero Hunger world," said Marina Catena, chief of WFP's brand-building and public engagement unit.

--IANS/AKI

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