United Nations names “Red” from the Angry Birds movie as honorary ambassador for Green on the International Day of Happiness!
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Red from the Angry Birds as Honorary Ambassador for Green on the International Day of Happiness and encouraged young people to take action on climate change and make the Angry Birds happy.
The appointment of Red is part of the #AngryBirdsHappyPlanet campaign to help the world body promote the International Day of Happiness, which is observed on March 20 each year, and encourage people to take action against climate change and its impacts.
The International Day of Happiness recognizes that Gross Domestic Product alone cannot measure the wealth and well-being of a country’s population and a more inclusive, equitable, balanced and sustainable approach to growth and development is key to being happy.
“The Angry Birds have entertained millions of people around the world – and now they are part of making the world a better place,” said Ban, who appointed Red of the Angry Birds as an Honorary Ambassador for Green at a launch event at UN Headquarters in New York.
The campaign, in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, the UN Development Programme and UN Foundation, encourages young people to step up their actions to address climate change and ensure a sustainable and happier future for all.
As part of his ambassadorial duties, Red will go on a “virtual world tour” starting on March 21, highlighting various ways to take climate action.
His tour will take him to Paris, where countries adopted an historic agreement to address climate change in December, and will end in New York, where world leaders will sign the Paris Agreement at UN Headquarters on April 22.
After United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named Red as Honorary Ambassador for Green, the campaign was presented to hundreds of young people in the iconic General Assembly Hall of the United Nations.
The presentation included the movie’s US stars Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad and Maya Rudolph as well as producers John Cohen and Catherine Winder, who asked the attendees for their support to make the Angry Birds happy by doing their part to take action against climate change.
They presented the “Help Red Go Green” materials including public service announcements created to support the campaign. By participating in the #AngryBirdsHappyPlanet campaign, individuals can make the Angry Birds happy and “Help Red Go Green” by posting photos and messages to show how they are protecting our planet by recycling, taking public transportation and conserving water, for example.
“We are proud to give Red a reason to go Green. There is no better way to mark the International Day of Happiness than to have our animated ambassador raise awareness about the importance of addressing climate change to create a safer, more sustainable and happier future for all.”
“We are incredibly honoured that Red from ‘The Angry Birds Movie’ has been named as the Honorary Ambassador for Green. While Red may still look angry, we know that he’s smiling on the inside. As we say in our ‘Help Red Go Green’ campaign, nothing makes an angry bird happier than a healthy planet. In partnership with the UN, we are very excited to help raise awareness of critical global issues such as climate change,” said John Cohen, producer of “The Angry Birds Movie” and “Despicable Me.”
The International Day of Happiness is an important observance to acknowledge that happiness and well-being are universal goals and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives.
This year it focuses on the relationship between having a healthy planet and our happiness
For more information: www.angrybirdshappyplanet.com
