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Actress Anne named WFP Goodwill Ambassador for Japan

Photo: WFP/ Photogallery, Naoe Yakiya (left), the Director of the World Food Programme Japan Relations Office and Japanese actress Anne (right), WFP Goodwill Ambassador at a press announcement event in Tokyo.
YOKOHAMA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), has named Anne, a well-known Japanese actress, as the organization’s Goodwill Ambassador in Japan at a press conference in Tokyo, today. Leveraging her fame and commitment, Anne will lend her voice to help the organization drive advocacy efforts in Japan to highlight the plight of the millions of people forced to the brink of starvation.

“I am determined and committed (to WFP’s cause – of ending hunger worldwide). I want to deliver the message that we can make a difference,” said Anne, at the press announcement.

During the announcement, in a live session connecting with a reception center in Chisinau, a Ukrainian woman who fled her home in search of safety shared her experience of receiving support from WFP. The Government of Japan is supporting WFP’s operations in Moldova.

“We welcome Anne to the WFP family. Her powerful voice and unwavering commitment to WFP’s mandate is sure to invigorate the people of Japan and inspire them to take action against global hunger,” said Naoe Yakiya, Director of WFP’s Office in Japan.

At the announcement, Anne also tasted a bowl of vegetable and pulse soup, similar to what is served by WFP in school feeding programmes in countries in Africa and Asia.

As her first initiative with WFP, Anne voiced TV and radio commercials featuring the organization as part of a nation-wide public welfare ad campaign, known as AC Japan, which started on 1 July. The commercials draw attention to children who cannot even afford a single meal daily, while calling on the public to step up support and bring about positive change.

The world is facing unprecedented needs this year, driven by conflict, climate shocks, COVID-19, and rising costs. With the crisis in Ukraine further compounding hunger and misery, WFP is calling for solidarity and global support for its operations. WFP works in over 120 countries and territories and reached more than 128 million people in 2021.

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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

Anne is an award-winning actress, narrator, and popular TV personality, appearing in movies, TV dramas, high-profile printing ads and TV commercials. Starting out her career as a model in 2001, Anne appeared in a number of fashion shows in New York, Paris, etc. She was selected as one of “100 Japanese People the World Respects,” by the Japanese version of Newsweek magazine in 2006.

 

Follow us on Twitter @WFP_JP

 

Contact

For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):



Megumi Iizuka, WFP/Tokyo

Tel. +81 90 9844 9990,

megumi.iizuka@wfp.org

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