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- December 9th, 2009
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Stevie Wonder the U.N.’s newest Messenger of Peace
December 9th, 2009
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has selected blind pop star Stevie Wonder to be a United Nations Messenger of Peace, with a special mission to help people with disabilities.The U.N. said the singer-songwriter, who has won 25 Grammy awards, is being recognized for his philanthropic work with the U.S. President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and Junior Blind of America.
Wonder will be the 11th U.N. Messenger of Peace, joining a list of notable figures — including Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, actor Michael Douglas, primate expert Jane Goodall and conductor Daniel Barenboim— who use their prominent positions to promote the U.N. and help the less fortunate.
“Our newest Messenger of Peace is someone who is admired by millions of people and has given back to millions of people,” Ban said in a statement ahead of Wonder’s official designation at a U.N. news conference on Thursday.