Superhero character Wonder Woman will soon be declared the United Nations' honorary ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls, The Guardian reported on Wednesday. The superhero will officially be appointed at a ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York on October 21, her 75th anniversary, according to website Comic Book Resources.
The ceremony is part of the launch of a major international project that aims to "achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls'". The campaign is one of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. The event will reportedly be attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson and some “surprise guests”, which the website speculates could be actors Gal Gadot and Lynda Carter who played the "feminist superhero's character".
UN Public Information Department's Outreach Director Maher Nasser said the character would be used to promote the cause of women's empowerment on social media platforms, according to The New York Times. Nasser did not disclose whether Carter, who played Wonder Woman on television, or Gadot, who played the character in Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice, will be at the ceremony.
The superhero will feature in a solo film titled "Wonder Woman" on June 2, 2017, before a film called Justice League hits the screens on November 17, 2017. The first film featuring the superhero was made in 1974.
In the past, the UN has appointed other fictional characters to various positions, including Winnie the Pooh as its honorary Ambassador of Friendship; Tinker Bell as its honorary Ambassador of Green; and Angry Birds as its ambassadors for conserving water and energy.
The United Nations, however, has been criticised for never appointing a women secretary-general to lead the organisation.
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