The United Nations has appointed Barcelona and Argentina captain Lionel Messi and pop sensation Shakira who is also the wife of Gerard Pique, a defender for the Catalan club.

The two stars and other prominent persons were appointed to assist in the campaign to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
(SDGs).

UN secretary-general said: “The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are our shared vision of humanity and a social contract between the world’s leaders and the people.

“They are a to-do list for people and planet, and a blueprint for success.”

The group includes heads of state and government, business and political leaders and prominent academia, as well as artists who have shown outstanding leadership in their field.

John Mahama, Ghanaian president and Norwegian prime minister, Erna Solberg will co-chair the group of SDG Advocates, thecable.ng reports.

Other appointees include:

Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of Belgium

Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

Richard Curtis Screenwriter, Producer and Film Director

Dho Young-Shim, Chairperson, United Nations World Tourism Organization’s Sustainable Tourism for Eliminating Poverty Foundation

Leymah Gbowee, Director, Gbowee Peace Foundation

Jack Ma, Founder and Executive Chairman, Alibaba Group

Graça Machel, President, Foundation for Community Development

Leo Messi, World Renowned Footballer, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador

Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser

Alaa Murabit, Founder, The Voice of Libyan Women

Paul Polman, Chief Executive Officer, Unilever

Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Earth Institute at Colombia University

Shakira Mebarak, Artist, Advocate and Founder, Pies Descalzos Foundation, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador

Forest Whitaker, Founder and CEO, Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation

Muhammad Yunus, Founder, Grameen Bank

 Source: Naij