Auckland, 5 May 2022 – This week, UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand welcomed actor Karl Urban as an official Ambassador to support in raising awareness on children’s rights both in New Zealand and around the world.

Michelle Sharp, UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand CEO, said, “We are honoured to welcome Karl Urban today as our Ambassador. We thank Karl for lending his voice to the millions of children around the world who need UNICEF’s support to access their rights to education, healthcare, clean water and protection.”

“Karl will be an excellent role model to children and we are grateful for his support to help address the challenges that young people face today. We are excited to work together with Karl to reimagine a better world for children,” said Sharp.

In his role as UNICEF Ambassador, Karl Urban will work to bring attention to children in conflict, including children affected by the Ukraine crisis, where UNICEF is currently on the ground in Ukraine and its neighbouring countries providing support to the children affected to access safety and essential care to help them cope with the trauma and impact on their lives.

“I am incredibly proud to take on this role as a UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand Ambassador to support on raising awareness for children who are facing some of the most challenging crises that no child should ever need to experience,” said Karl Urban at the signing held in Auckland.

“In my role as an ambassador for UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand, I look forward to being able to support UNICEF in achieving its goals to improve the lives of children across the world. One of the major issues UNICEF is working on, which I feel strongly about, is the Ukraine crisis where millions of children have been forced from their homes, leaving everything behind to escape the ongoing conflict,” said Urban.

UNICEF is working around the clock to scale up life-saving programmes for children affected by the Ukraine crisis. This includes providing safe water, healthcare, education and protection. In addition, children are being provided with learning opportunities and psychosocial support to help them deal with the trauma they are experiencing.

During the meeting held in Auckland on Wednesday, Karl committed to use his role as UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand Ambassador to promote the rights of all children in New Zealand and globally, including Ukraine, to ensure all children have access to their rights and the best start to life possible.

© Scoop Media