(Left-right) UNICEF Regional Ambassador and chess champion Anatoly Karpov, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his wife Nane Annan with 'The Spirit of Audrey' sculpture. |
Audrey Hepburn's
work for the world's children honoured with The Spirit of Audrey
May 2002 - A seven-foot-tall
bronze statue of Audrey Hepburn was unveiled today in a star-studded
ceremony at the James P. Grant Plaza at UNICEF headquarters in
New York to commemorate Ms. Hepburn's tireless work as UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassador.
To most
of the world, Ms. Hepburn is known and loved for her Academy Award-winning
performance in Roman Holiday and for her memorable roles in Sabrina,
Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Nun's Story and countless other movies.
However, children in the developing world knew her as an exceptional
advocate for their cause.
"We are here to celebrate the life of
our friend Audrey Hepburn and her second and greatest career as
a UNICEF Ambassador,", said Sir Roger Moore,
who opened the ceremony. "And what a
career it was."
Ms. Hepburn became a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF in 1988. In
the
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Roger Moore. |
five years in that capacity, she traveled incessantly to Ethiopia,
Guatemala, Somalia, Sudan, Thailand and many other countries drawing
attention to the plight of children. Ms. Hepburn testified before
several US Congressional committees on hunger. She met with presidents,
kings and prime ministers to urge them to improve the lives of children
around the world.
She herself was no stranger to suffering.
As a child growing up in Nazi-occupied Netherlands, she and her
mother nearly starved to death before escaping to the safety of
the UK.
"'I was a malnourished child in the post-war
years. I was one of the beneficiaries. I've known UNICEF all of
my life,'" Sir Roger. Moore recalled
Ms. Hepburn telling him many years ago before he
himself became a UNICEF Ambassador.
Harry Belafonte,
also a UNICEF Ambassador, said, "Not
many people in the world who obtain celebrity really commit themselves
to trying to make a difference in the world of turmoil, and I think
that Audrey Hepburn was the best example of what to do with herself,
and I loved her dearly, and I am very glad to be here to celebrate."
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Harry Belafonte. |
The statue, created by renowned artist and sculptor John Kennedy,
was commissioned by Ms. Hepburn's long-time companion, Robert Wolders.
Entitled "The Spirit of Audrey", it depicts a tall, slender
woman holding the hand of a child - evoking countless occasions
on Ms. Hepburn's travels to some of the world's most disadvantaged
and ravaged spots. The unveiling, originally scheduled for last
year, was postponed after the September 11 tragedy.
"How appropriate that it will stand here
in the plaza outside the organisation that inspired her," Sir Roger Moore said.
The commemoration began with the Young People's Chorus of New York
and was attended by several hundred people - including UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan and his wife, Nane Annan, UNICEF Executive Director Carol
Bellamy, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors Harry Belafonte, Mia Farrow,
Vendela Thommessen, Anatoli Karpov and numerous other celebrities.
Ms. Hepburn died on 20 January 1993 of colon cancer.
Presented by Alan
Davidson Sir Roger Moore webmanger
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