Millie Bobby revealed her delight at following in her ‘hero’ Audrey Hepburn’s footsteps as she was appointed UNICEF’s youngest ever Goodwill Ambassador.
The Stranger Things actress, 14, said she was honoured to share the title with the ‘late, great’ Breakfast At Tiffany’s star, during a speech at the UN headquarters in New York.
The Emmy-nominated teenager urged world leaders to ‘listen’ to young people and vowed to ‘end bullying and violence’ in a powerful speech after her appointment on Tuesday.
Huge news: Millie Bobby revealed her delight at following in her ‘hero’ Audrey Hepburn’s footsteps as she was appointed UNICEF’s youngest ever Goodwill Ambassador
‘In becoming a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, I share the title with a hero of mine – the late, great Audrey Hepburn, who once said: “As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping others and one for helping yourself”,’ Brown told a news conference.
She added: ‘That’s exactly what I intend to do.
The United Nations children’s agency ambassador also had a message for world leaders: ‘Listen to us. Youth is very powerful.’
‘I want to raise issues about education and violence and ending bullying and … making sure children have a safe environment and clean water. But I’m still learning what I feel passionate about.’
Honour: The Stranger Things actress, 14, said she was honoured to share the title with the ‘late, great’ Breakfast At Tiffany’s star, during a speech at the UN headquarters in New York
Icon: Audrey (pictured in 1957) served as a Goodwill Ambassador from 1988 until her untimely death in January 1993
Legend: Millie said: ‘In becoming a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, I share the title with a hero of mine – the late, great Audrey Hepburn, who once said: “As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping others and one for helping yourself”,’
Gushing about her appointment on Instagram, she wrote: ‘A dream come true! It’s a huge honour to become UNICEF’s newest and youngest ever Goodwill Ambassador to help defend children’s rights across the world. I can’t wait to get started!’
Brown has been nominated twice for an Emmy for her role in the Netflix series ‘Stranger Things’, which followed the case of a missing boy named Will in a small Indiana town in the 1980s.
Brown, who plays a girl called Eleven with special powers trying to help rescue him, has spoken out in the past against bullying and last year deleted her Twitter account after a slew of hate-filled comments.
Determined: The United Nations children’s agency ambassador also had a message for world leaders: ‘Listen to us’
Powerful message: She added: ‘I want to raise issues about education and violence and ending bullying and … making sure children have a safe environment and clean water. But I’m still learning what I feel passionate about’
Her appointment as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador marked World Children’s Day and comes after Brown co-hosted UNICEF’s 70th anniversary celebrations in New York in 2016, interviewing David Beckham on stage.
She pledged to speak out for millions of children and young people whose voices had been silenced.
She also vowed to shine a light on issues that vulnerable children suffer around the world and make sure children know their rights and empower them.
Brown said she would use her platform, which includes more than 18million followers on Instagram, to address issues affecting young people.
Incredible: Gushing about her appointment on Instagram, she wrote: ‘A dream come true! It’s a huge honour to become UNICEF’s newest and youngest ever Goodwill Ambassador to help defend children’s rights across the world. I can’t wait to get started!’
Vow: She pledged to speak out for millions of children and young people whose voices had been silenced
Plight: She also vowed to shine a light on issues that vulnerable children suffer around the world and make sure children know their rights and empower them
She was also the youngest person to make Time magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential figures.
UNICEF said in her new role she will help raise awareness of children’s rights and other youth related issues including access to education, and the impact of violence, bullying and poverty.
‘Children are their own best advocates. I know that Millie will use her passion and dedication to defend the rights of vulnerable children and young people everywhere,’ said UNICEF’s Executive Director Henrietta Fore in a statement.
Brown joins a list of UNICEF goodwill ambassadors that includes former England soccer captain David Beckham, actors Orlando Bloom, Jackie Chan, and Liam Neeson, singers Ricky Martin and Shakira and YouTube star Lilly Singh.
Message: Brown said she would use her platform, which includes more than 18million followers on Instagram, to address issues affecting young people
Amazing: She was also the youngest person to make Time magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential figures
Star: Brown has been nominated twice for an Emmy for her role in the Netflix series ‘Stranger Things’, which followed the case of a missing boy named Will in a small Indiana town in the 1980s