The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today appointed Emmy-nominated television personality, award-winning author and internationally acclaimed food expert Padma Lakshmi as its newest Goodwill Ambassador.
In this new role, Lakshmi will mobilize support for the Sustainable Development Goals with a focus on fighting inequality, discrimination and empowering the disenfranchised.
Speaking at UNDP headquarters in New York, Lakshmi said as we celebrate International Women’s Day tomorrow, “let’s remember that women and girls face some of the worst discrimination and hardships in the world.” She said her main mission as UNDP Goodwill Ambassador will be to shine a spotlight on the fact that inequality can affect people in rich and poor countries alike.
The Goodwill ambassador said many nations have greatly reduced poverty, but inequality has proved more stubborn adding that inequality is further compounded by gender, age, ethnicity and race.
Lakshmi added that fighting inequality is at the heart of UNDP’s mission and looked forward to joining forces with UNDP to help bring about a future in which every person, regardless of their income, their gender or place of birth, is empowered to live the life they want.
Lakshmi is best known for starring as a judge and host, as well as executive producer, of Bravo Television’s Emmy award-winning series Top Chef. She is also a New York Times bestselling author, the co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America, a Visiting Scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an ambassador for the American Civil Liberties Union advocating for immigrants’ rights.
She is joining a roster of UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors, which includes globally celebrated actors, athletes, musicians and other high-profile influencers~UNDP
