Actress Mahtab Keramati appointed UNICEF National Ambassador

TEHRAN, 27 August 2006 – Iranian actress and clothes designer Mahtab Keramati has been appointed as a UNICEF National Ambassador in Iran.

“We are extremely pleased to announce Mahtab Keramati as UNICEF’s newest Goodwill Ambassador”, said Christian Salazar Volkmann, UNICEF Representative in Iran, speaking at a press conference in Tehran. “She has already demonstrated a passionate commitment to children in the past and we hope that through her reputable status in society she will continue to help raise awareness on issues that affect children and women both here in Iran and in the wider region.”

One of the first missions that Ms Keramati is hoping to undertake as an ambassador is to go to Lebanon to help raise awareness on the situation affecting children and their families and to support the Back to School Campaign. So many buildings were destroyed in the attacks that schools have had to delay opening by three weeks. Ms Keramati will also be able to see for herself the projects UNICEF is supporting in their efforts to return people’s lives to normalcy.

“I am honoured to be chosen as a UNICEF National Ambassador,” said Mahtab Keramati. “My job in life is to act and play roles, but I can’t act the role of a child. However, I would like to enter their world to help them and to give them the kindness they are deprived of.”

Mahtab has supported UNICEF Iran for more than a year. She took part in the launch of the Global Campaign on Children and AIDS, visited Bam to help raise awareness amongst young people on HIV and AIDs, supported Iranian children’s day and more recently chaired a debate on Iranian Women’s Day.

Mahtab Keramati is the second celebrity, after football legend Ali Daie, to serve as a UNICEF National Ambassador in Iran.

Using their name and celebrity status in their respective fields, UNICEF Ambassadors support the organisation in its efforts to bring attention and resources to the world’s most vulnerable children. In the nearly 50 years since celebrities began working with UNICEF, they have helped sway government policies on behalf of children, publicize children’s issues around the globe and raise funds for UNICEF supported programmes.

*** About UNICEF
For 60 years UNICEF has been the world’s leader for children, working on the ground in 156 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.