Korean super junior star, Siwon Choi, new UNICEF Regional Ambassador for East Asia and Pacific

Bangkok/Vientiane, Monday, 11 November 2019: Siwon Choi, star of Korean boyband Super Junior, has been unveiled as UNICEF East Asia and Pacific’s new Regional Ambassador. His new role was announced today in Laos at an event celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). 

Over the last four years, Siwon Choi has been committed to children’s issues through his role as Special Representative for UNICEF Korea. In this capacity, Mr. Choi has travelled extensively across the region, most recently to Viet Nam where he supported UNICEF’s campaign #StopBullying to raise awareness of bullying and engage young people on developing solutions to end this problem.

 “I am delighted to announce Mr. Siwon Choi as our newest Regional Ambassador. Siwon’s strong commitment to children in need of protection from violence, abuse and exploitation, makes him a compelling advocate for children in this region. His unwavering commitment to children and his celebrity status will help UNICEF to send a powerful message that will reach the hearts and minds of people throughout the world,” said Karin Hulshof, Regional Director, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific.

Today’s announcement was made at the Lao Generation 2030 Forum in Vientiane. The Forum, a high-level summit on child rights with government representatives, children and youth, development partners, academia and the private sector was organized to assess progress towards the implementation of the CRC and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and discuss future efforts to unleash the unlimited potential of children and young people in Lao.

As part of the Forum and in his first event as Regional Ambassador, Mr. Choi will participate in a Youth Talk Panel Discussion with a group of youth, who are doing extraordinary things to further children’s rights. He will highlight the importance of sustained investments to unleash their potential as they develop between now and 2030, when SDGs are to be achieved. He will also visit a school and youth-led radio group while in Laos.

“I was only two years old when the Convention came into being, I am proud to be appointed as one of UNICEF’s newest Regional Ambassadors in its 30^th anniversary year. I have been lucky to see firsthand the impact that UNICEF has had on children’s lives and I am looking forward to continuing my work with the organization,” said Siwon Choi, UNICEF Regional Ambassador.

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With a special focus on promoting and protecting children’s rights online in the region, Mr. Choi joins Ms. Agnes Chan as part of the East Asia and Pacific Regional Ambassador team. Regional Ambassadors are prominent individuals from art, science, literature, entertainment, sport or other fields of public life who have expressed a desire to contribute to raising awareness of the aims, objectives and priorities of UNICEF to convey messages about its activities and to extend its public outreach.

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About UNICEF

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org/eap

For more information, please contact:

Shima Islam, Regional Communication Specialist, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office, +66 (0) 2 356 9407, ssislam@unicef.org

Maria Fernandez Ruiz de Larrinaga, Chief of Communication, UNICEF Laos, Advocacy, Communication and Partnerships, Telephone: +856 21 315 200. Ext. 119, mfernandez@unicef.org