EuropaWorld 9/2/2001 Elsa Zylberstein Named UN Population Fund Goodwill Ambassador

French actress Elsa Zylberstein, has been appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and has pledged to raise awareness of the plight of women who lack access to proper reproductive health services.

Speaking at the Palais de Luxembourg in Paris, Ms. Zylberstein said she was motivated to take on the task by stark statistics showing that globally, half a million women die every year from complications of pregnancy and childbirth -- about one death every minute. "I have decided to use my fame to make this situation more widely known and, above all, to support those who are working to prevent such deaths," she said.

As Goodwill Ambassador, Ms. Zylberstein will mainly focus on francophone Africa, working to raise awareness about population and development issues among the French public and encouraging the media to cover them. Her aim is to build support for increased international assistance to improve access to reproductive health services.

Ms. Zylberstein has appeared in more than 30 movies, including Jefferson in Paris and Farinelli.