SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
UNITED NATIONS
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday announced the designation of top Hollywood star and committed environmental activist, Leonardo DiCaprio, as a UN Messenger of Peace with a special focus on climate change.
“Mr. DiCaprio is a credible voice in the environmental movement, and has a considerable platform to amplify its message,” the secretary-general told a press conference as the 69th session of U.N. General Assembly got underway.
“I am pleased he has chosen to add his voice to UN efforts to raise awareness of the urgency and benefits of acting now to combat climate change.”
The UN chief said he had invited DiCaprio to address the UN Climate Summit on Sept. 23, which is bringing together leaders from government, business, finance and civil society to promote climate action for a healthy planet, sustainable economic growth and better standards of living for all.
The Secretary-General praised DiCaprio’s longstanding commitment to fighting for environmental causes, not least the substantial funds raised and generous grants provided to environmental protection and conservation projects through his foundation.
“It’s an honor to accept the role of UN Messenger of Peace on Climate Change and to support the Secretary General in his efforts to address one of the most important issues we face as a global community,” Leonardo DiCaprio said in a statement.
“I feel a moral obligation to speak out at this key moment in human history – it is a moment for action. How we respond to the climate crisis in the coming years will likely determine the fate of humanity and our planet.”
In 1998, DiCaprio established the “Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation,” with the mission of protecting the Earth’s last wild places and implementing solutions to build a more harmonious relationship between humanity and the natural world. Since that time DiCaprio has worked on some of the most pressing environmental and humanitarian issues of our day. Through grant making, public campaigning and media projects, he has brought attention and needed funding to three focus areas — protecting biodiversity, ocean and forest conservation, and climate change.
DiCaprio, 39, most recently starred in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” The owner of several hybrid and electric vehicles, DiCaprio once called global warming “the number-one environmental challenge.”