At a glance: United States of America
Tennis ace Roger Federer stars in video spot for HIV/AIDS campaign
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| © UNICEF/HQ06-1183/Berkwitz |
| Tennis world champion and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Roger Federer records a public service announcement on HIV/AIDS. |
By John Allison
NEW YORK, USA, 29 August 2006 – His bid for glory at the U.S. Open begins tomorrow, but Roger Federer has already served up an ace in the fight against AIDS with the release of a new public service announcement for UNICEF.
The PSA, released today in both English and French, is part of the UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS campaign, which was launched in New York in October 2005. In the 30-second spot, which will be made available to broadcasters worldwide, Mr. Federer talks about the impact of HIV/AIDS on children around the world.
“Every minute of every day, a child under the age of 15 dies of an AIDS-related illness,” he says in the video message. “HIV/AIDS is threatening children as never before.”
Commitment to children
Mr. Federer, the world’s current top-ranked tennis player, became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in April of this year.
“I am honoured to join the ranks of UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassadors,” he said at his appointment ceremony. “I’ve been lucky in life and able to pursue my passion for tennis since I was six years old. It’s important to me to help the many children throughout the world who do not have the basic resources they need.”
Mr. Federer’s commitment to the well-being of children was clear even before his appointment as a Goodwill Ambassador. In 2003, he established the Roger Federer Foundation to help children in need, primarily in South Africa. And in 2005, he helped organize an exhibition tournament to raise relief funds for UNICEF in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami.
That tournament, sponsored by UNICEF and the ATP, the world governing body of professional tennis, helped launch a partnership between the two organizations. The partnership, known as ACE (for Assisting Children Everywhere), focuses on the effects of HIV/AIDS on children.
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29 August 2006:
UNICEF Correspondent John Allison reports on the release of a new UNICEF public service announcement featuring tennis star and Goodwill Ambassador Roger Federer.
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