This Pop Star Is the Newest UN Goodwill Ambassador – and Wants to Help Women

Nigerian pop star Yemi Alade wishes to focus on women, especially in her home country, in her new role as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations.

“Women are among the 4 billion people who are trying to survive COVID-19 without any form of social protection,” says the singer. “I want to lend my voice to these women and other vulnerable people who make up half of the world that’s struggling to make ends meet. They don’t have the luxury of working from home and are putting their health at risk just to put food on the table.”

The United Nations Development Programme‘s role is to raise awareness of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Countries need to not neglect climate change as they rebuild their economies after the pandemic which is expected to widen the poverty gap between men and women. “Climate change and poverty go hand-in-hand, and neither is gender-neutral. Women in developing countries, such as my homeland Nigeria, are disproportionately affected by both.”