With the world’s focus on the new global developnment goals, there is an opportunity to make that a reality.
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English soccer star David Beckham, a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, poses next to a digital installation created for UNICEF by Google, using mobile technology and social media to deliver messages of children from across the… Mr Beckham cleared his throat & admitted in that it “really affected me” & stated: “That tale will never abandon me”.
“I want a world where children can grow up safe from violence, free from poverty and protected from preventable diseases, don’t you?”
His voice cracking with emotion, the 40-year-old explained the tragic events of that night. The mother, tired, scared, exhausted, said to the father, ‘can you please take Vianna?’ So the father did, obviously, he had Venus and Vianna in his arms. Unfortunately the father was knocked off the roof by one of the waves.
“He woke up six hours later holding one of the girls”, David added, choking up.”This was the the night of the typhoon. A day and a half later, unfortunately, Vianna was found face down and unfortunately she had died”, Beckham recounted. “So children hit home with many people and I think no one can ignore that”, he said.
“I saw images of him this morning with a young girl, which is truly incredible”.
Beckham has four children of his own with wife Victoria.
Speaking to Sky News Beckham also alluded to the recent images of toddler Aylan Kurdi that sent shockwaves around the world and turned the world’s attention to the refugee crisis.
Numerous SDGs already deal with children, including ensuring access for all to quality education, eliminating poverty, providing food security and improving nutrition. “And we must do more than hear these voices, we must heed them”, he added. “It’s up to world leaders, it’s up to politicians, it’s up to countries to come together to really help a situation like this”.
WireImage UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham unveils a digital set up to bring the voices of kids to the UN General Meeting at United Nations on September 24, 2015 in NYC.
There, also to assist Beckham on the launch were United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, and two young people from UNICEF Voices of Youth initiative.
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“I want a world where children can grow up safe from war, violence, poverty and preventable disease”, he told the crowd.
