Lord David Puttnam CBE
Ambassador since 2009
“Children all over the world are being denied a very basic right: the right to a childhood. “
Renowned director Lord Puttnam was appointed President of UNICEF UK in July 2002, and served for seven years until 2009, playing a key role in promoting UNICEF’s advocacy, awareness and fundraising objectives. He was appointed a UNICEF Ambassador in 2009.
Lord Puttnam’s travels on behalf of UNICEF have taken him to Bosnia, Cambodia, Nigeria, Jerusalem, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, South Africa, Laos, China and Jordan.
One of his first visits to a UNICEF project in his role as President of UNICEF UK was a fact-finding mission to Cambodia – a country he had kept strong links with after filming The Killing Fields. Shortly after the trip in 2003, he launched UNICEF UK’s End Child Exploitation campaign, which raised £7.2 million for UNICEF’s work to protect children from sexual exploitation, trafficking and child labour.
He was involved in the launch of UNICEF’s first global campaign Unite for Children,Unite against AIDS in October 2005. Following the launch he visited Mozambique to see how UNICEF projects are helping children and young people affected by HIV and AIDS.
“The most important ingredient to making a great Ambassador is imagination.
You have to be able to imagine the plight of people, who you are talking about, who your addressing, who you are visiting"
Lord Puttnam 2015
Image: UNICEF & Clear Channel launch of Global Outdoor Campaign highlighting children orphaned by HIV/AIDS with Lord Attenborough (2005)
Lord Puttnam’s time with UNICEF.
Lord Puttnam has supported UNICEF since 2002 and continues to tirelessly fundraise and advocate for UNICEF’s work for children worldwide.
2002 – Lord Puttnam is appointed President of UNICEF UK and travels to Bosnia for his first UNICEF trip.
2003 – Lord Puttnam travels to Cambodia and launches the UNICEF UK’s End Child Exploitation campaign
2004 – Lord Puttnam travels to Loas and Nigeria to visit UNICEF programmes.
2005 – Lord Puttnam travels to Mozambique and supports UNICEF’s first global campaign, Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS. He also helps launch the UNICEF & Clear Channel launch of Global Outdoor Campaign
2006 – Lord Puttnam visits UNICEF programmes in China
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