Actor Don Cheadle has been appointed as the newest goodwill ambassador for the United Nations. Cheadle will represent the U.N. Environment Program as a spokesman for climate change and environmental conversation.
UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner announced the appointment on Saturday. Steiner said Cheadle would represent the U.N. by helping to spread green awareness to millions of people throughout the world.
While receiving his appointment in Rwanda, Cheadle also had the privilege of officially naming a baby gorilla as part of World Environment day in the country. The new baby was dubbed Zoya, a name chosen by voters on the Internet to be bestowed by Cheadle.
Don Cheadle has starred in such films as Iron Man 2, Ocean’s Thirteen and Crash. He received an Academy Award nomination for his role in Hotel Rwanda, which told the story of the 1994 Rwandan genocide that claimed more than 500,000 lives. Cheadle is also a strong advocate for the end of genocide in Darfur, Sudan and the author of Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond.
