Pau Gasol
UNICEF Global Champion for Nutrition and Ending Childhood Obesity
“As a Global Champion for Nutrition and Zero Childhood Obesity designated by UNICEF, I firmly believe that every child, wherever they come from, deserves the chance to grow up healthy and to reach their full potential. Through my role, I work to help protect their right to play, to learn, to eat nutritious food, to be active — to simply be children.”
Pau Gasol is president of the Gasol Foundation and Gasol16 Ventures, as well as a member of the International Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission.
As a professional basketball player, he won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and was a six-time All-Star. With the Spanish National Team, he contributed to winning a World Championship and three Olympic medals. In 2023, after his number 16 jersey was retired at the Lakers' arena, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Off the court, Pau has demonstrated a deep commitment to children's well-being through the Gasol Foundation and his work as UNICEF's Global Champion for Nutrition and Ending Childhood Obesity. Pau has served as National Ambassador for UNICEF Spain since 2003.
Through Gasol16 Ventures, he channels his entrepreneurial activity, which includes collaborations with major companies and strategic investments focused on sports, health, and wellness, while also supporting Spanish projects with international reach.
Pau Gasol's activity with UNICEF
Pau Gaol's activity with UNICEF
A video message from Pau was shown at the Nutrition for Growth Summit event in Paris, ‘Transforming Food Environments for Children’. Pau called on governments to make the changes needed to food systems pushing unhealthy options on children through marketing practices, misleading packaging and access to ultra processed foods.
Pau also inspired young leaders from around the world by video on the Fix My Food webinar for World Obesity Day.
Starring in the video explainer for the Child Nutrition Report ' Feeding Profit', Pau called for 5 key interventions in food systems to help prevent childhood obesity.
Pau continued to support the report through UNGA events including the Spanish Government/WHO/UNICEF event 'The Global Response to Obesity ', where he was the keynote speaker. Pau also took part in a panel discussion with UNICEF Youth Advocates at the Global Obesity Forum event which he posted about in his Instagram stories.
At the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Pau delivered the keynote speech at the WHO-UNICEF side event ‘How the WHO Acceleration Plan to Stop Obesity is Unlocking Country Action’ reflecting Pau’s deep interest in child health as founder of the Gasol Foundation.
On World Obesity Day, Pau delivered a video message for the youth event ‘Obesity and Youth: Young People Catalyzing Change’ to support young people speaking out for the urgency of leadership on healthy and nutritious food for all children.
Pau represented UNICEF at the Nutrition for Growth Summit, a global pledging moment to drive action toward ending malnutrition. Pau’s video message called for bold and ambitious investment in nutrition for the world’s children. A total of 45 countries with high burdens of malnutrition plus 12 donor countries led with strong policy and financial commitments, amounting to more than $27 billion in funding pledged.
Pau took part in the UN Food Systems Summit where he called on governments to ensure healthier and more sustainable childhood diets. The video message was also posted on social media to raise public awareness of the global food crisis.