This article is about the UNHCR goodwill ambassador title. For other uses, see Goodwill ambassador (disambiguation).

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador is an official postnominal honorific title, title of authority, legal status and job description assigned to those goodwill ambassadors and advocates who are designated by the United Nations. UNHCR goodwill ambassadors are celebrity representatives of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) who use their talent and fame to advocate for refugees.

Current UNHCR goodwill ambassadors

Current goodwill ambassadors and the year they were appointed:

TimeAmbassadorCountryProfession
2025Karen WazenLebanon United Kingdomfashion entrepreneur and digital influencer[1]
2024Theo JamesUnited Kingdomactor and producer[2]
2023Mary MakerSouth Sudanteacher, actor and writer[3]
2023Luis Gerardo MéndezMexicoactor and producer[4]
2023Aseel OmranSaudi Arabiaactress and singer[5]
2023Yang YangChinaadministrator, retired short track speed skater, and businesswoman[6]
2021Raya AbirachedLebanonTV presenter and journalist[7]
2021Tanya BurrUKactress, influencer, and entrepreneur[8]
2021Alphonso DaviesCanadafootballer[9]
2021Maya GhazalSyriarefugee and pilot[10]
2021Tahsan KhanBangladeshsinger-songwriter and actor[11]
2021Gugu Mbatha-RawUnited Kingdomactress[12]
2021Anita RaniUnited Kingdomjournalist and broadcaster[13]
20202Baba (Innocent Idibia) NigeriaMusician, producer, and entrepreneur[14]
2020Kwame Annom (Biishville)Ghanachef and entrepreneur[15]
2020Yiech Pur BielSouth SudanOlympic athlete[16]
2020Betty GEthiopiasinger and songwriter[17]
2020Kat GrahamUnited Statessinger and actress[18]
2020Alfonso HerreraMexicoactor[19]
2020Manizha SanginRussiasinger and songwriter[20]
2020Nomzamo MbathaSouth AfricaActress, Humanitarian, TV Presenter[21]
2019Atom AraulloPhilippinesjournalist[22][23]
2019Helena ChristensenDenmarkmodel and photographer[24]
2019Mahira KhanPakistanactress[25]
2019Leanne ManasSouth Africatelevision presenter, businesswoman and journalist[26]
2019Mercy MasikaKenyasinger and songwriter[27]
2019Nikki SamonasGhanaactress and television host[28]
2018Emtithal MahmoudSudanpoet[29]
2018Ben StillerUnited Statesactor
2017Praya LundbergThailandmodel and actress
2017MiyaviJapanmusician
2017Neil GaimanUnited Kingdomwriter
2017Yusra MardiniSyriaswimmer[30]
2017Kristin DavisUnited Statesactor[31]
2017MIYAVIJapanmusician and actor[32]
2017David MorrisseyUnited Kingdomactor
2017Alessandro GassmanItalyactor
2017Iskui AbalyanArmenia Belarussinger
2017Yasmine SalhiTunisiaartiste
2016Cate BlanchettAustraliaactor
2016John AbrahamIndiaactor
2015Jung Woo-sungSouth Koreaactor
2015Ger DuanySSDactor and model
2015Rokia TraoreMalisinger-songwriter
2015Sheikha Rima al-SabahKuwaitphilanthropist and former journalist[33]
2013Aidos SagatKazakhstansinger
2013Alek WekUKsupermodel
2013Khaled HosseiniUnited Stateswriter[34]
2007Jesús VázquezSpainTV presenter[35]
2007Muazzez ErsoyTurkeysinger
2006George DalarasGreecesinger
2006Osvaldo LaportUruguayactor[36]
2003Julien ClercFrancesinger
2000Adel EmamEgyptactor
1987Barbara HendricksUnited Statesclassical singer

Other positions

  • Barbara Hendricks became a Goodwill Ambassador in 1987. She became the first Honorary Lifetime Goodwill Ambassador in 2002, the only person to hold this title.[37]
  • Angelina Jolie became a Goodwill Ambassador in 2001. In 2012, she was appointed the Special Envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.[38]

Past ambassadors

See also

References

  1. ^ "Karen Wazen". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  2. ^ James, Theo. "Theo James". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  3. ^ "Mary Maker". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  4. ^ "Luis Gerardo Méndez". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  5. ^ "Saudi artist Aseel Omran appointed as UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador". UNHCR Africa. 2023-05-10. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  6. ^ "Yang Yang". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  7. ^ "Raya Abirached". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  8. ^ "Tanya Burr". UNHCR. 2020-02-09. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  9. ^ "Alphonso Davies becomes the first footballer to take UNHCR's Goodwill Ambassador title". UN News. 2021-03-24. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  10. ^ "Maya Ghazal, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador"
  11. ^ "Tahsan Khan". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  12. ^ "British actor Gugu Mbatha-Raw named latest UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador". UN News. 2021-02-24. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  13. ^ "UK TV and Radio Broadcaster Anita Rani joins UNHCR as a Goodwill Ambassador". www.unhcr.org. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  14. ^ "2Baba (Innocent Idibia)". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  15. ^ "Kwame Annom (Biishville)". UNHCR. 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  16. ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Yiech Pur Biel". UNHCR. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  17. ^ "Betty G". UNHCR. 2020-03-06. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  18. ^ "Kat Graham". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  19. ^ "Alfonso Herrera". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  20. ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Manizha". UNHCR. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
  21. ^ "Nomzamo Mbatha". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  22. ^ "UNHCR - Atom Araullo". UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  23. ^ "Atom Araullo appointed UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador". UNHCR. 4 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  24. ^ "Helena Christensen". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  25. ^ "Mahira Khan". UNHCR
  26. ^ "Leanne Manas". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  27. ^ "Mercy Masika". UNHCR UK. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  28. ^ "Nikki Samonas". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  29. ^ "Emtithal Mahmoud". UNHCR. 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  30. ^ Mardini, Yusra. "Yusra Mardini". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  31. ^ "Kristin Davis". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  32. ^ "MIYAVI". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  33. ^ "Sheikha Rima al-Sabah". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  34. ^ "Khaled Hosseini". UNHCR. 2016-12-18. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  35. ^ "Jesús Vázquez". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  36. ^ "Osvaldo Laport". UNHCR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  37. ^ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "Barbara Hendricks". UNHCR. Archived 2022-10-06 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  38. ^ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "Former Special Envoy Angelina Jolie". UNHCR. Archived 2023-03-26 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  39. ^ "Former UNHCR National Goodwill Ambassador". UNHCR Hong Kong. 2016-01-01. Retrieved 2025-10-02.