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Press Release

What Muhammad Ali and Melanie Griffith Have in Common

Joined by Many Others, They're
Saying "Yes" for Children

TV Spots Featuring Children's Rights and Celebrities Galore Begin Airing Globally

NEW YORK, 26 July 2001 - Muhammad Ali, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith today joined a long list of prominent individuals who have pledged themselves to support action for children and called on world leaders to do the same.

The four signed a pledge called Say Yes for Children, part of a global campaign led by a team of children's rights organizations. The campaign has gathered more than 3.2 million pledges worldwide since April, including those of scores of celebrities, heads of state, and other leading citizens. The pledges will be presented to national leaders gathering in New York in September for a global summit on children - the first such summit in 11 years and one of the largest meetings of heads of state ever. The message of the pledge campaign is simple and direct: the citizens of the world care about children and expect governments to keep thepromises they make to them.

In addition to signing up to the Say Yes pledge, Mr. Ali and Mr. Douglas have agreed to appear in television spots that promote the campaign. Leaders including Nelson Mandela, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Bill Gates, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, and notables from Susan Sarandon to Sebastião Salgado have already donated their time and talents to urge people everywhere to sign up and get involved.

The series of celebrity TV spots - which feature notable figures reciting the pledge, "I believe that all children should be free to grow to adulthood in health, peace and dignity" - begins airing globally this month.

"I know something about fitness, and there is no greater cause than making the world fit for children. We owe it to them," said Mr. Ali, a UN Messenger of Peace. "I urge everyone, everywhere to join me in saying Yes for Children."

The campaign asks people to agree with 10 fundamental principles on improving and protecting the lives of children. From education to HIV/AIDS, discrimination to armed conflict, Say Yes spotlights the serious issues facing children. The Say Yes pledge form can be found on the internet at www.gmfc.org and is also being distributed on paper by UNICEF and partner organizations in some 100 countries.

Nickelodeon, the global children's channel, has produced a special series of the promos for young viewers. "I know what it's like to be included in stuff, to be part of the gang," says popular Nicktoon TV character Arnold in one of the four spots. "I also know what it's like to be left out. And being left out isn't fun. No kid should be left out, no matter how different they are…no matter what they look like. If you want to make sure all kids count, join the kids of the world in the global vote and Say Yes for Children. It's a chance to have your say."

In many countries, celebrities have joined government and community leaders, artists, children's organisations and young people themselves to help mobilise support for the campaign.

• In Sudan, leading actor and child advocate Ali Mahdi will lead a 180-kilometre 'March for Children' on July 27-28. A procession of artists, youth and women's groups will visit selected villages and depressed communities, giving theatre presentations and gathering pledges. The march is patterned after the long walk of displaced children to cities in the north.
• Mongolia's favourite pop star, Ariunaa, performed a special Say Yes song which hit the Mongolian pop charts and went to No. 1 overnight.
• In China, top portrait photographer Russel Wong - with four recent Time magazine covers to his credit - has photographed an array of popular singers, fashion models, Olympic gold medallists and others in a striking Say Yes poster series.
• In Brazil, renowned photographer Sebastião Salgado, writer Jorge Amado, and UNICEF Ambassadors Renata Aragão and Daniela Mercury were among the first to sign pledges.
• A top female vocalist in Mozambique, Julia Mwithu, has been singing her support for Say Yes in visits to schools and communities around the country.
• In Liberia, soccer hero George Weah, a UNICEF Sports Ambassador, is supporting Say Yes, which is being used to promote HIV/AIDS awareness and education among under-18s.
• Local celebrities throughout India are supporting the campaign, including TV star Shekhar Suman, who pledged his support for Say Yes in Bihar, drawing media and public attention.
• In Croatia, Say Yes is supported by three well-known celebrities - popular children's TV show host Sinisa Cmrk, pop singer and children's TV host Ivana Plechinger, and Olympic swimmer and world record holder Gordan Kozulj.
• The Say Yes for Children campaign is the first major initiative of the Global Movement for Children, a broad-based coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to children's rights and well-being. Founding organizations include UNICEF, Netaid.org Foundation, PLAN International, Save the Children, World Vision and the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee.

The movement aims to build a groundswell of support that will push leaders to renew and honour their commitments to children at the UN General Assembly's Special Session on Children, taking place in New York, 19-21 September. The 10 principles of the Say Yes pledge are part of the Special Session's draft outcome document - a critical plan of action for children over the next decade.

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