UNHCR welcomes new Goodwill Ambassador

PARIS, October 30 (UNHCR) - The UN refugee agency has found a new Goodwill Ambassador in French singer Julien Clerc, a man in tune with UNHCR's fundraising and public awareness needs.

Clerc was appointed as UNHCR's Goodwill Ambassador for francophone countries on Tuesday in a ceremony in Paris attended by some 150 people. Among the guests were UN Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees Kamel Morjane, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, and former UN Representative in Kosovo Bernard Kouchner.

Welcoming Clerc into the UNHCR family, the Assistant High Commissioner said, "We are glad in UNHCR to have an artist of his calibre on our side and we admire him for having taken this courageous decision, because he could have chosen to support one of many other causes that are noble but are easier to defend than that of refugees and asylum seekers."

Morjane added, "I thank him from the bottom of my heart and say to him that we count a lot on him to spread the good word, as he has been doing in the French-speaking world and beyond."

Recalling his first encounter with the refugee agency in December last year, Clerc said, "At (UNHCR's) headquarters, I met extraordinary people, men and women, especially from the emergency team, who shared with me their passion, their dedication and their commitment to this organisation and refugees. They told me about the daily difficulties they have to face and also the joy they felt when they managed to save a person whose life was threatened."

The Assistant High Commissioner presented Clerc with a UN passport. In preparation for his upcoming mission to the field, the singer was also given a UNHCR vest, T-shirt and cap, which he promptly donned.

As UNHCR's Goodwill Ambassador, Clerc expects to travel to the field within the next few months, as well as to make numerous public appearances on behalf of the agency. His best-known collaboration with UNHCR to date has been the use of his song, "Partir (Leave)" in the agency's television campaign last year. He has since supported many UNHCR activities, including raising 268,000 Euros for the agency through a fundraising TV show in April this year.

Clerc started his musical career in 1968, receiving the "Five Gold Records" award in 1974 for his album sales. Over the years, he has built up a large following with his meaningful lyrics, melodious tunes and international collaborations with artists like Manu DiBango, Carla Bruni and Florin Niculescu.

The French singer joins other UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors like Angelina Jolie, Giorgio Armani, Barbara Hendricks and Adel Imam, who represents the refugee agency in the Arab world.