Lea Salonga joins Celine Dion, Susan Sarandon as UN anti-hunger envoys

Filipino pride Lea Salonga on Friday joined Canadian superstar Celine Dion and seasoned American actress Susan Sarandon as the new United Nations (UN) ambassadors against world hunger. The three, along with Italian actor Raoul Bova, were officially appointed Goodwill Ambassadors by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at the "United Against Hunger" ceremonies in Rome, Italy held to mark World Food Day. The appointments were conferred by FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf. With the exception of Dion, the new UN ambassadors showed up at the event to personally accept the distinction. For the occasion, Lea also rendered a rousing rendition of the 1971 John Lennon classic, Imagine. (See video below)

Lea Salonga, American actress Susan Sarandon, and Italian actor Raoul Bova blow whistles after being named new UN Goodwill Ambassadors in Rome, Italy on Friday. AP

By being named UN Goodwill Ambassadors, the four celebrities are tasked to "commit themselves personally and professionally to address the universal humanitarian goals that underpin FAO's mission — to build a food-secure world for present and future generations." On its website, the UN-FAO described Lea as someone who has already "earned the admiration and respect of audience, peers and critics for her performances worldwide." Apart from being an ambassador against hunger, Lea has also accepted to act as an advocate for the Youth and the United Nations Global Alliance initiative, FAO added. Probably one of the most world-renowned Filipinos today, Lea Salonga rose from local to international celebrity status after she was plucked, at age 17, to play the role of Kim in the West End musical “Miss Saigon." The role earned her a Tony Award. Dion, who could not attend Friday's ceremony in Rome, accepted her appointment through a pre-recorded video message "More than a billion people suffer from hunger and malnutrition at a time when the world has more than enough food to feed everyone," said a pregnant Dion, who is expecting to give birth to twins in November. "This is totally unacceptable and time is running out. Urgent action is needed now," added the singer most known for the stirring ballad "My Heart Will Go On," theme song of the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic. According to the FAO, an estimated 925 million people in the world end the day hungry, while a child dies of hunger-related causes every six seconds. “Responding properly to the hunger problem requires urgent, resolute and concerted action by all relevant actors and on all levels. It calls for all of us to be united," said Diouf, in an article posted on the FAO website. Salonga and the three other new ambassadors join a long list of anti-hunger ambassadors including Egyptian First Lady Suzanne Mubarak, Dominican Republic First Lady Margarita Cedeño de Fernandez, Italian actress and photojournalist Gina Lollobrigida, and Irish ex-Boyzone singer Ronan Keating.—JV, GMANews.TV