“Roar” For Children—Katy Perry is UNICEF’s Newest Goodwill Ambassador

By Lusha Chen Reprint | | Print |

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 4 2013 (IPS) - American pop singer and songwriter Katy Perry is ready to roar for the world’s most vulnerable children and adolescents. Recently appointed as United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) newest Goodwill Ambassador, she will focus her humanitarian efforts on brining awareness to issues such as severe poverty, violence, abuse, and neglect in regards to children and adolescents—especially in emergency and conflict situations.

Katy Perry and UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake announcing her appointment as UNICEF’s newest Goodwill Ambassador. Credit: Lusha Chen/IPS

“I believe young people have the power to change their own lives with our help.” Perry said. “I am honored to join UNICEF as a Goodwill Ambassador and committed to doing everything I can to help children and adolescents who come from such different backgrounds but want the same thing: a brighter future.”

As an active user of social media, Perry will likely be the first celebrity to amass 50 million followers on Twitter by 2014. Her latest tweet about her recent appointment as Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF gained almost 5,000 retweets in 22 hours.  And it doesn’t stop there; after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines, Perry called on her Twitter followers to support UNICEF’s efforts to help children affected by the disaster.

She wrote #unconditionallyUNICEF, which relates to her new song “unconditionally,” a song she wrote after returning from her trip to Madagascar. In April of this year, Perry spent four days visiting schools and slums in the tropical island country, where 68 per cent of the 20 million people are living in poverty. She brought much-needed attention to education and sanitation issues plaguing the country.

“Katy Perry is already a champion for children, and we look forward to hearing her ‘roar’ on behalf of UNICEF,” said Executive Director Anthony Lake. “We are delighted that she is joining us as UNICEF’s newest Goodwill Ambassador and lending her remarkable voice to amplify the voices of children and young people around the world.”