Antonio Banderas has been chosen as the UNDP Goodwill Ambassador for the UN development program, to stand for the Millenium Development Goals, including combating world poverty. He joins ambassadors like Maria Sharapova.

 

The actor has been incorporated as the UNDP Goodwill Ambassador to attract attention to the Millienium Development Goals of the International body. These include halving world poverty by 2015 and fighting against hunger, disease, pollution, illiteracy and discrimation against women.
 
Antonio Banderas said, "Poverty robs us of our potential as a people, preventing us from being all that we can be. This is why it is so important to mobilize all of our efforts to defeat it."

 
Talking about the selection of Antonio Banderas who was born in Malaga, Spain, as the UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, Helen Clark, UNDP chief said, "(His) proven commitment to the causes of the less fortunate makes him an ideal advocate for our work."
 

Antonio Banderas joins other prominent UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors like tennis player Maria Sharapova, Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon Magnus and Japanese actress Misako Kono.