Stevie Wonder Designated Messenger of Peace

Grammy-Award winning songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder of the United States was designated a United Nations Messenger of Peace with a special focus on persons with disabilities, who represent one in ten people in the world and 20 per cent of the poor in developing countries.

The Secretary-General presented Stevie Wonder with a symbolic dove-shaped pin during a ceremony at United Nations Headquarters on Thursday, 3 December.

In selecting Mr. Wonder for this designation, the Secretary-General said, "Our newest Messenger of Peace is someone who is admired by millions of people and has given back to millions of people." Stevie Wonder is a "true inspiration" and shows what "can be achieved despite physical limitations," he added.

Messengers of Peace are individuals who possess widely recognized talents in the fields of art, academia, literature, sports and entertainment, helping to raise worldwide awareness of the Organization’s ideals and activities.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities, celebrated annually on 3 December, is also to be marked at Headquarters with a special event organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in collaboration with the World Bank in Conference Room 4, under the theme "Making the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Inclusive: Empowerment of persons with disabilities and their communities around the world."

The International Day will be opened by the Secretary-General followed by remarks by Mr. Wonder. Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Mr. Sha Zukang will host the opening [full remarks] and be joined by U.S. Ambassador H.E. Ms. Susan E. Rice, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Mr. Kiyotaka Akasaka, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Navanethem Pillay. The World Bank will be connected via live videoconferencing.

According to Mr. Sha Zukang, “the world over, persons with disabilities are disproportionately poor, and more likely to be un-employed or under-employed. They do not have access to adequate education or healthcare. They face barriers, not only to basic opportunities and services, but to participation in society itself. They are estimated to make up more than 10 per cent of the world’s population. Yet, all too often, they are marginalized and excluded.”

The opening will be followed by a panel discussion on the theme of the Day. Panelists from Member States, UN organizations, the World Bank and civil society will address narrowing the gap between policy and practice in the area of disability in the implementation of the MDGs and ways to make development strategies, policies and programmes accessible to persons with disabilities so as to achieve the MDGs for all.

In the afternoon, a DESA Disability Film Festival will show the documentaries: 'I am one of you', a UNTV film on changing perceptions of persons with disabilities in Hong Kong SAR, China; 'Beyond the Light', a film by Ivy Goulart on the universe of six blind people in Brazil which pays homage to the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille; 'DEAF: Hear Me' a documentary by Wild Mango Films which explores what it is like growing up deaf in India; and finally 'Rudely Interrupted', a documentary about an internationally acclaimed Australian rock band made up of persons with disabilities.

UN Messengers of Peace

Mr. Wonder joins ten other United Nations Messengers of Peace who advocate on behalf of the Organization.

The other Messengers of Peace and their areas of focus are: conductor Daniel Barenboim (peace and tolerance); actor George Clooney (peacekeeping); author Paulo Coelho (poverty and intercultural dialogue); actor Michael Douglas (disarmament); primatologist Jane Goodall (conservation and environmental issues); violinist Midori Goto (Millennium Development Goals and youth); Princess Haya Bint al Hussein (Millennium Development Goals and hunger); cellist Yo-Yo Ma (youth); actor Charlize Theron (ending violence against women) and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel (human rights).

Stevie Wonder’s activism has been pivotal in U.S. and world events. In 1983, he spearheaded a campaign for "Martin Luther King Day" to become a national holiday in the United States. He also advocated ending apartheid in South Africa.

Mr. Wonder has been recognized for his philanthropic efforts which include the U.S. President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, the Children’s Diabetes Foundation, Junior Blind of America and the creation of the Wonder Vision Awards Program.

His career as a recording artist has reflected his concern with humanitarian issues. He has written, produced and/or performed songs relative to charities in support of disabilities, aids, cancer, diabetes, hunger and homelessness, domestic abuse and many other causes on behalf of children and adults.