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STORY: UN / EDWARD NORTON WRAP
SOURCE: UNTV
TRT: 2.52
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS
DATELINE: 8 JULY 2010, NEW YORK CITY/ FILE
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior UN building
8 JULY 2010, NEW YORK CITY
2. Med shot, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Edward Norton arrival
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General:
“It is a great honour and pleasure to enlist you as United Nations Goodwill Ambassador on Biodiversity, and I hope we’ll make a contribution altogether with the United Nations and the international community.”
4. Med shot, Ed Norton
5. Close up, hands
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Edward Norton, United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity:
“These days, specially in light of catastrophic experiences like the gulf oil spill, you’d have to say that increasing people’s focus on the fact that human well-being is intertwined fundamentally with biodiversity it’s got to be one of the top priorities, I think, I think making people realize that they are not separate from that web of life and biodiversity on the planet and that in fact their ability to thrive as a species and as a civilization totally depends on that web of life.”
7. Zoom in, Secretary-General placing badge on Norton’s lapel
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Edward Norton, United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity:
“Though individual actions and things like that obviously matter, I would have to say right now, I think on some levels the priority has got to be at the level of global leadership and policy. At the end of the day the things that are causing the most catastrophic collapse to biodiversity - climate change, deforestation, fisheries policies - these things are taking place at the international agreement level.”
9. Wide shot, Kiyotaka Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, Norton, Secretary General and Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
10. SOUND UP (English) Edward Norton, United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity:
“I think people know that we took our ties off for energy efficiency.”
11. Wide shot, reporters
12. Wide shot, press conference dais
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Edward Norton, United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity:
“For everybody, but certainly for people of my generation, the issue of environmental sustainability generally and specifically of the way that human well-being is connected to the web of biodiversity is almost incontestably, I think emerging as the defining crisis, the defining challenge of this era.”
14. Wide shot, dais
Acclaimed actor and conservation activist Edward Norton took on his latest role today (8 July), as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon designated him United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity.
At the designation ceremony Ban said that it was “a great honour and pleasure” to enlist Norton to help raise awareness about this issue.
In his new role, Norton said he will work with the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to spotlight the crisis of biodiversity and ensure world leaders take appropriate measures to protect the environment.
The Goodwill Ambassador noted that “in light of catastrophic experiences like the gulf oil spill” it was important to focus on “the fact that human well-being is intertwined fundamentally with biodiversity” and that humanity’s “ability to thrive as a species and as a civilization totally depends on that web of life.”
The actor, twice nominated for an Academy Award, said that beyond public awareness, “the priority has got to be at the level of global leadership and policy” as issues relevant to biodiversity such as such as climate change, deforestation and fisheries policies “are taking place at the international agreement level.”
At a later press conference Norton commented that for people of his generation, the issue of environmental sustainability and “the way that human well-being is connected to the web of biodiversity” is emerging as the “defining challenge of this era.”
Today’s appointment comes as the UN marks 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity, with heads of State set to discuss the issue at a high-level meeting at UN Headquarters in New York at the start of the General Assembly’s 65th annual General Debate in September.
Norton’s family has long been involved in sustainable development issues, with his father being a conservation advocate and his maternal grandparents having founded an organization to help provide affordable housing in the United States.
For his part, the new Goodwill Ambassador is very active in garnering support for conservation efforts, serving as a board member of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust and taking part in launching an innovative social networking platform called Crowdrise to boost participation in charitable work.
Last year, he ran in the New York City Marathon, helping to raise more than $1 million for local communities in Kenya.
