UNICEF People

Nana Mouskouri

© UNICEF/HQ 96-0885/Linh

Internationally acclaimed singer, Nana Mouskouri, was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in October 1993. "I always try to see things with children's eyes," Mouskouri wrote in an autobiographical booklet in 1997. "Are they happy? Sad? What do they need? Everywhere I went, I realized that children are society's victims … We have a duty to speak to political leaders, to influence people to give these children a better future."

The ideal spokesperson

Her ability to speak (and sing) in English, French, German, Greek, Italian and Spanish has made Mouskouri an ideal spokesperson for UNICEF, and she has taken every opportunity to promote the rights of children, both in special field missions and while on concert tours. She began by visiting UNICEF projects in Mexico (1994), Chile (1995) and Viet Nam (1996). Following her return from Viet Nam, she joined UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Harry Belafonte at a benefit concert in Chicago, during which he presented her with the World of Children Award from the US Fund for UNICEF.

Since then, Mouskouri's travels on behalf of UNICEF have included visits to a school in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was built with funds she helped raise, two trips to Kenya, and visits to Bulgaria and Russia. During the second of her Kenyan trips she gave a concert as part of a gala that raised more than US$300,000. She went on to make field trips to Guatemala and, following a catastrophic earthquake, to Greece, where she visited camps for displaced persons and distributed school supplies to children.

© UNICEF/HQ98-0381/GEENEN

Nana Mouskouri speaks with a girl outside the Kamdira-Kochieng Nursery School. Kenya, 1998.

Throughout her time as a Goodwill Ambassador, Mouskouri has tirelessly promoted the fundraising and advocacy work of many UNICEF National Committees. She appeals for support for UNICEF’s programmes for children both in concerts and in media interviews. She has also made generous financial contributions to projects in Guatemala, Kenya, Uganda, Viet Nam, Bulgaria and Russia.

An extraordinary career

Mouskouri, who was born and raised in Greece, studied voice and piano at the Athens Conservatory before making her debut at a tavern in Plaka. Shortly afterwards, she won first prize in a Greek song festival, the first of numerous awards received during her distinguished career.

Mouskouri is the best-selling female artist of all time, having had more than 300 gold and platinum records. She has performed in the world's most prestigious concert halls, among them London’s Royal Albert Hall, the Olympia in Paris and New York’s Carnegie Hall.

“The world needs her,” says Harry Belafonte simply.