United Nations Foundation and United Nations Association of the USA to Honor Global UN Advocates

Today the UN Foundation and the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) announced the awardees for its 2012 Global Leadership Awards Dinner, scheduled for October of this year. Named one of “New York’s Top 100 Events 2012,” the Global Leadership Awards Dinner brings together a distinguished audience of nearly 500 policymakers, diplomats, United Nations supporters, business leaders, celebrities, and members of the media, as well as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN Goodwill Ambassadors and Messengers of Peace, and representatives from the U.S. Mission to the UN.

UN Foundation Founder and Chairman Ted Turner, UN Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth, and UNA-USA Executive Director Patrick Madden will salute global leaders from a variety of sectors in October at Cipriani 42nd St. The event is hosted by the UN Foundation and benefits UNA-USA’s youth and education programs.  Together the two organizations represent the single largest network of American supporters of the UN.

This year’s awardees include:

• Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner, will receive the Champion for Global Change Award for his strong leadership as an advocate for human rights and global health, as well as his campaigning against poverty, racism, and sexism.
• Variety, the entertainment industry’s preeminent news organization, for their leadership in answering the UN Secretary-General’s call to activate the creative community in solving global problems.
• Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella, Director- General for the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), for his work on a variety of global issues, including promoting sustainable energy for all, poverty reduction, climate change, and the advancement of the Millennium Development Goals.
• Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, Special Rapporteur on Syria and leading UN independent human rights expert, will receive the Leo Nevas Human Rights Award for his more than 30 years of work in support of human rights both in the UN and Inter-American systems.

“This year’s honorees demonstrate that individuals and organizations from all corners of the globe can elevate the UN’s work and help the world,” said Madden. “American communities applaud the work of these distinguished awardees as they help educate and advocate on behalf of the UN every day.”

For 54 years, the Global Leadership Awards Dinner has called attention to the vital role the UN plays in helping the global community advance peace, prosperity and justice and recognizes individuals and organizations for their outstanding leadership in furthering the purposes of the United Nations Charter and advancing UN causes—from global health and economic development, to human rights and environmental sustainability. For more information, visit www.unausa.org/annualdinner.

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ABOUT THE UN FOUNDATION
The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.

ABOUT UNA-USA
The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA), a program of the UN Foundation, is a membership organization dedicated to inform, inspire and mobilize the American people to support the principles and vital work of the United Nations. UNA-USA works to accomplish its mission through its national network of chapters, advocacy efforts, education programs, and public events. UNA-USA and its sister organization the Better World Campaign are the single largest network of advocates and supporters of the United Nations in the world. For more information on UNA-USA, visit http://www.unausa.org/.