Connie Britton Named UN Goodwill Ambassador

Who doesn’t just love Connie Britton — and her hair? Well it seems the United Nations thinks her it-factor is just what the world needs as the Nashville star was named a goodwill ambassador We...
Connie Britton Named UN Goodwill Ambassador
Written by Pam Wright
  • Who doesn’t just love Connie Britton — and her hair?

    Well it seems the United Nations thinks her it-factor is just what the world needs as the Nashville star was named a goodwill ambassador Wednesday for the United Nations Development Program.

    “We are thrilled to have Connie Britton join UNDP’s efforts to fight poverty worldwide,” said UNDP Director for External Relations Michael O’Neill.

    “Connie is passionately committed to humanitarian causes and she will be a great partner for UNDP, helping us raise awareness of development issues amongst the American and global public.”

    Britton calls her appointment as goodwill ambassador “one of the greatest opportunities of my life.”

    “In my own travels, I’ve seen many places where people are living in extreme poverty. It’s unacceptable that, in 2014, one billion people live in such conditions, and a full sixty percent of the chronically hungry in the world are women,” said Britton. “I look forward to working with UNDP to help change this and improve the lives of vulnerable people worldwide.”

    Britton says she plans to focus on poverty eradication, with a special emphasis on women’s issues. She told reporters that women do 66 percent of the world’s work but make just 10 percent of the world’s income.

    Known for roles on Friday Night Lights, American Horror Story and most recently Nashville, the 47-year-old actress and singer became the agency’s tenth such ambassador and joins actor Antonio Banderas, tennis star Maria Sharapova and a handful of soccer stars.

    Britton already has a plethora of foreign experiences. She spent some time studying Chinese in Beijing and traveled to Africa for documentary work and to adopt her son, Yoby, from Ethiopia. She says China was a turning point in her life.

    “I majored in Chinese [Asian Studies] in college [Dartmouth]. I had a great opportunity to study in China and I didn’t want to pass that up,” said Britton in a 2011 interview. “I’ve always been interested in international cultures.”

    Image via YouTube

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