UNDP Administrator Helen Clark gives to a smiling Michelle Yeoh a framed certificate as part of her recent appointment as UNDP Goodwill Ambassador. (Photo : United Nations/YouTube)
It’s true that heroes are not the only ones people get to see in the movies.
Many of them walk the planet together with their fellow mortals, with some in high heels.
This year, accomplished Chinese-Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh accepted a role that requires a strong and genuine performance behind the camera: that of an ambassador of goodwill.
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) announced Yeoh’s appointment as its Goodwill Ambassador on March 15 in New York, according to UNDP’s website.
UNDP Administrator Helen Clark, the first woman to hold the position (2009-present) and was New Zealand’s former prime minister (1999-2008), described Yeoh as “energetic and passionate.”
Clark said that UNDP was “excited” to have the award-winning performer be included in the “global UNDP family.”
UNDP sees a “strong partner” in Yeoh, who can aid in making the “vision of a brighter, stronger future a reality” for all the people in the world.
She will join others “to fight poverty and mobilize action around the new Sustainable Development Goals.”
Fiercely wielding a variety of weapons one after the other to restrain a stubborn sword-wielding Zhang Ziyi in a scene in Ang Lee’s 2000 critically acclaimed “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” the veteran actress will likely use her popularity to wield influence in getting people to support poverty-alleviation programs.
“As a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, I want to do all I can to help people overcome barriers and have a shot at a better life, in a safer world, on a healthier planet,” said Yeoh.
Yeoh finds her appointment “a very big commitment,” according to her interview with UNDP.
“It is something I had thought about very carefully before accepting,” said Yeoh.
Headquartered in New York City, UNDP “partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone,” according to its website.
People in the country can find the Representative Office of United Nations Development Program in China in Liangmahe South Road in Chaoyang, Beijing.
UNDP echoes to the world these stirring words: “Empowered lives. Resilient nations.”
Now here comes Yeoh, another empowered and resilient lady--who also happens to be a movie icon still making heads turn at 53--joining the global fight against poverty.
