(Rightmost) Karen Davila. Image: Instagram/@iamkarendavila
Karen Davila is honored to be “officially welcomed” as the first United Nations (UN) Women Asia Pacific goodwill ambassador for the Philippines, joining the roster of other celebrity goodwill ambassadors, such as Emma Watson and Anne Hathaway.
The broadcast journalist took to her Instagram account on Saturday Sept. 23 to make the announcement, where she was welcomed by UN Women Asia Pacific Regional director Alia El-Yassir into the international organization’s headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand.
“THE UN FAMILY. Yesterday, I was officially welcomed by UN Women Asia Pacific Regional Director Alia El-Yassir as the first UN Women Philippines Goodwill Ambassador serving the country & the region,” she wrote.
“I honestly didn’t know what to expect but was so surprised with how warm, welcoming everybody was at the UN Women Asia Pacific office,” she continued.
Touching on her passion for women empowerment, Davila said the international organization covers issues that are close to her heart including “climate change, ending violence against women (VAW), women’s economic empowerment, women’s role in governance, peace & security (WPS), and unpaid care.”
“Many of the issues felt familiar as in my 30 years as a broadcast journalist, I have done stories, docus, [and] advocated for women [and] girls rights. I always say the best investment one can make to lift a family out of poverty is educating a girl and empowering a mother,” she added.
The broadcast journalist said she will be working closely “with many UN Women champions and advocates” to promote women empowerment, in hopes of inspiring change in “mindsets, behavior, and everyday lives.”
“This is the first step of the journey. The final meet is this October at the UN HQ in New York. And siyempre (of course), PROUDLY FILIPINA po tayo,” she said.
El-Yassir welcomed Davila into the organization with open arms, saying she’s looking forward to having her as ambassador for the multinational organization for women empowerment.
“Such a pleasure to welcome esteemed journalist Karen Davila as our new Goodwill Ambassador for @UN_Women in the #Philippines. Looking forward to working together to advance gender equality & women’s empowerment,” she wrote.
Such a pleasure to welcome esteemed journalist Karen Davila as our new Goodwill Ambassador for @UN_Women in the #Philippines 🇵🇭
Looking forward to working together to advance gender equality & women’s empowerment!
Welcome to our family @iamkarendavila 💙 pic.twitter.com/FvXOeGMvdC
— Alia El-Yassir (@elyassir_alia) September 22, 2023
Also known as the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, UN Women pushes for women empowerment and creates a safe environment that promotes gender equality.
Aside from Watson and Hathaway, other personalities who have been endowed with such honor were actresses Nicole Kidman and Danai Gurira, and soccer player Marta Vieira da Silva, actor Indian Farhan Akhtar, Turkish actor Demet Evgar, and Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol. EDV