UN backs Priyanka Chopra, says 'UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors retain right to speak'

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Priyanka Chopra who faced criticism by Pakistan Human Rights minister for a tweet cheering the Indian armed forces got a pat at the back from a UN spokesperson who has supported her patriotic stand.

When UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors "speak in their personal capacity, they retain the right to speak about issues that interest or concern them," Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said at his daily briefing on Thursday in answer to a question about Chopra, reported IANS.

"Their personal views or actions do not necessarily reflect those of UNICEF," he added.

But, he said: "When they speak on behalf of the UNICEF, we expect them to adhere to UNICEF's evidence-based impartial positions."About their role, he said: "The UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors are prominent individuals who have agreed to generously volunteer their time and their public profile to promote children's rights."

Frustrated after repeated failure on multiple fronts to secure support to its efforts against India’s Kashmir move, Pakistan have approached the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), seeking to remove Indian actress Priyanka Chopra as the UN 'Goodwill Ambassador' on the pretext of a past tweet she did to celebrate the Indian army’s attack on Pakistan. 

 

Online petitions calling for her ouster from the ambassadorship were launched soon after have gathered thousands of signatures.Pakistan's minister Shireen Mazari in a letter to UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore, alleged that Priyanka Chopra has “supported” the Indian government’s stand on Kashmir and “nuclear threat” issued to Islamabad by India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

 

Mazari added: "Unless she is removed immediately, the very idea of a Goodwill Ambassador for Peace becomes a mockery globally."Meanwhile, co-stars and Bollywood celebrities like Kangana Ranaut, Ayushmann Khurrana, Javed Akhtar have come out in support of Priyanka. 

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