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STORY: UN / LANG LANG
TRT: 3.00
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ CHINESE/ NATS
DATELINE: 28 OCTOBER 2013, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters
28 OCTOBER 2013, NEW YORK CITY
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General:
“I know Lang Lang’s message will strike a chord from symphony halls to school halls. It is with great pleasure and pride that I designate Lang Lang as a United Nations Messenger of Peace. Lang Lang, congratulations and great work for peace in the world.”
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Lang Lang, United Nations Messenger of Peace:
“In the world of today we are having a problem with education, and in many ways; on education for general subjects but also education for music. And it’s not only in de developing countries, but it is also in many countries, including here.”
4. Med shot, Lang Lang playing piano
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Lang Lang, United Nations Messenger of Peace:
“Learning music is like learning a language, and the thing is that when we start early it feels very natural and feels quite of ‘easy access’, but the main problem of today is there are not so many schools that have that. And the parents are the main push, the main driving force.”
6. Med shot, Lang Lang playing piano
7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Lang Lang, United Nations Messenger of Peace:
“I am looking forward to working with the UN organizations to better perform my job as a Messenger of Peace. I want to do the best job possible and to follow the footsteps of other Messengers of Peace, and to listen to their advice. I hope that because of my age I will be able to connect with young people around the world.”
8. Med shot, Lang Lang playing piano
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Lang Lang, United Nations Messenger of Peace:
“I am really waiting to take the challenge and to see what we can do to make a better education environment for the world.”
10. Med shot, Lang Lang playing piano
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today (28 October) designated world-renowned pianist Lang Lang from China as a United Nations Messenger of Peace with a special focus on global education.
The Secretary-General in his introductory remarks said “Lang Lang’s message will strike a chord from symphony halls to school halls.”
Ban said he looked forward to working with Lang to advance his Global Education First Initiative.
The Global Education First Initiative focuses on three goals: getting every child in school; improving the quality of learning; and fostering global citizenship.
Lang told UNifeed that “in the world of today we are having a problem with education” which is not only affecting the developing world, but also developed nations like the United States.
He said music education programmes in particular are suffering and noted that “learning music is like learning a language.”
The new Messenger of Peace said he hoped that because of his young age he “will be able to connect with young people around the world” and help “make a better education environment for the world.”
Lang, who began playing the piano at age three, has performed around the world. He played at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for United States President Barack Obama and the Diamond Jubilee Concert for Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom at Buckingham Palace in 2012.
He has also been Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for the past 10 years, helping raise awareness to ensure every child’s right to quality health care and education. In addition, he has frequently used his music to raise funds for UNICEF and for humanitarian aid in emergencies, such as a special performance for a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall in New York to benefit the UNICEF emergency response to the earthquake in Haiti.
Messengers of Peace are individuals who possess widely recognized talents in the fields of art, film, literature, music and sports, helping to raise worldwide awareness of the UN’s ideals and activities. Through their public appearances, contacts with the international media and humanitarian work, they expand public understanding of how the UN helps to improve the lives of people everywhere.
Mr. Lang joins 11 other UN Messengers of Peace who advocate on behalf of the United Nations, including Brazilian author, Paulo Coelho, primatologist Jane Goodall, musician Stevie Wonder, and US actors Michael Douglas, Edward Norton and Charlize Theron.
