November 16, 10

NEWS / UNICEF ambassador Roger Moore to meet with disabled children in Kazakhstan

16 November 2010 – United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador Roger Moore travelled to Kazakhstan today in his first visit to the Central Asian country to help raise awareness and support for vulnerable children, particularly those with disabilities.

Accompanied by his wife, Kristina, Mr. Moore’s five-day visit will include an event organized by Special Olympics and UNICEF to highlight the importance of sports and healthy living in developing children’s cognitive skills and providing a sense of social inclusion. In addition, they will visit a home that provides care for abandoned children, including those with disabilities.

Kazakhstan has more than 150,000 children with disabilities and only about one-third of them have access to educational and developmental programmes while many others continue to live in state-run institutions.

UNICEF and Special Olympics work in partnership throughout the world to champion the rights of children with disabilities and to encourage national action to ratify and implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Convention has increased the status and visibility of disability as a human rights issue.

Throughout their trip, Mr. and Mrs. Moore will meet with high-level officials, members of the business community and civil society to stress the importance of working together to help ensure that children with disabilities have access to proper health facilities, education, supportive care and protection against abuse and neglect.

Mr. Moore, who achieved worldwide fame for his role as James Bond, has served as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for nearly 20 years, travelling to places such as Cambodia, China, Cost Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Mexico, the Philippines and Zambia to advocate for children’s rights.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=36769&Cr=Kazakh&Cr1=