"The World Needs More...": Amitabh Bachchan joins the United Nations for global humanitarian campaign
(New York, 22 August 2013) – UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan has joined the United Nations and its humanitarian partners to promote “The World Needs More__” – a global campaign seeking to turn words into real assistance for communities affected by humanitarian crises.
In a new video interview released today, the Bollywood star shares his personal mission to eradicate polio. “Each child must survive and thrive,” Bachchan says. “And for that, the world needs more #Immunization.”
Amitabh Bachchan joins a growing number of international celebrities who have supported the campaign, including Beyoncé, Kid President, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon, LL Cool J, Geena Davis, Trey Songz, and Christina Applegate. The World Humanitarian Day music video for Beyoncé’s song “I Was Here”– the centrepiece of last year’s campaign – has been nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Video with a Social Message. The VMA’s are taking place this Sunday (25 August).
“The World Needs More__” campaign, produced in collaboration with Leo Burnett New York, allows brands and the public to sponsor a word they believe the world could use more of. Gucci, Intel, Western Union, Barclays Bank, and Crescent Enterprises have already sponsored words.
When a person shares #TheWorldNeedsMore followed by a sponsored word (such as #Education, #Inclusion, #Strength, #Empowerment or #Dialogue) via Twitter or through the campaign website, www.worldhumanitarianday.org, US$1 will be donated to support aid efforts in the world’s most underfunded humanitarian crises.
Since the campaign launch on Monday, World Humanitarian Day, it has trended globally on Twitter and has already reached over 92 million people through social media. “We’re really excited about how the campaign started,” says Derk Segaar, Head of Communications for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “But this is just the beginning. People around the world have engaged with this campaign in so many different and exciting ways and we look forward to seeing this engagement continue to grow.”
World Humanitarian Day also saw the beta-launch of Chideo – a dynamic social media platform that allows celebrities, and industry and thought-leaders to raise money for their selected charities by offering exclusive video content based on requests and votes from fans that can be viewed for a small donation.
“Chideo is a proud supporter of the United Nations,” says entrepreneur, philanthropist and Chideo Founder Todd Wagner. “World Humanitarian Day 2013 highlights both the world’s humanitarian need and the goodwill that can alleviate it. It is precisely this notion of a community of shared interests that empowers Chideo, a digital platform designed to bring people together, and to democratize giving.”
The campaign continues through 24 September and will conclude at the annual Social Good Summit in New York.
To download broadcast quality versions of all World Humanitarian Day video content, including Kid President’s interview with Amitabh Bachchan, please visit:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/912lk1tzjyeksa7/fXWknbtq0M?lst
For photos from World Humanitarian Day celebrations around the world, please visit:
http://ocha.smugmug.com/Themes/WHD/WHD2013-Photo-Selects/31314163_Zx44d3
To learn more about Chideo please visit: http://www.chideo.com/charity/21
For more information:
- Matthew Cochrane, WHD Spokesperson, cochranem@un.org, +1 646 943 3169, +1 212 963 7961
- General Press Contact Sunshine Sachs, whd@sunshinesachs.com, +1 212 691 2800, +1 607 972 1287