UNODC Goodwill Ambassadors

UNODC has enlisted the help of prominent personalities from the worlds of art, music, film, sport and literature to highlight key issues and to draw attention to its activities. Over the years, many persons of international stature have lent their names, talents and time to support United Nations programmes as Goodwill Ambassadors and celebrity advocates. 

Julia Ormond

On 2 December 2005, Julia Ormond, British actress and activist, was appointed as UNODC Goodwill Ambassador by Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa. During her service, Ms. Ormond will focus on anti-human trafficking initiatives, raising awareness about this modern form of slavery and promoting efforts to combat it.  

Ms. Ormond has been an advocate for human rights issues, both in her individual capacity and as the Co-Founder and Co-Chair of FilmAid International Inc., which seeks to promote health, strengthen communities and enrich the lives of vulnerable people. In September 2005, she worked on anti-human trafficking advocacy initiatives with UNODC in Moscow and presented the MTV Russian Music Award to a young activist fighting AIDS.  She also co-hosted the UNAIDS event to commemorate World AIDS Day on 1 December.

At a United Nations headquarters press conference on the day of her appointment, Ms. Ormond stressed the ubiquity of human trafficking, and the need to find specific, locally tailored solutions to this scourge.

"Travelling to the countries where human trafficking occurs would take me to every country in the world," she said. "And I think it's clear that the solutions that are working are very specific. They are very culturally appropriate."

Ms. Ormond also commented on the shift away from trafficking in arms, drugs and tobacco towards human beings, noting that, while the available statistics are probably not accurate due to the covert nature of trafficking, human beings seem to be trafficked in greater numbers every year.

"This shift has happened because we're not prioritizing human trafficking enough," she said. "It's easier than trafficking in arms, drugs or tobacco, it's more profitable, and it's easier to get away with."

Ms. Ormond is well known for her film roles in such films as Legends of the Fall, Sabrina and The Barber of Siberia, as well as for her work in television and the theatre.

Alessandro Scotti

Alessandro Scotti, Italian photographer, was appointed UNODC Goodwill Ambassador on 25 July 2005.

In 2006 he presented his De Narcoticis series. 

Austria's FM4 radio station recently interviewed Alessandro Scotti. The web version includes some of Alessandro's pictures and a podcast of the entire interview.

Igor Cassina

Italian gymnast, Olympic gold medallist Igor Cassina, was appointed UNODC Goodwill Ambassador on 14 October 2005.

He travelled to Tirana, Albania, on the occasion of the 2006 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking (26 June) - see pictures below.