Ghana’s Grammy nominee Rocky Dawuni named UN Ambassador

The Grammy-nominated act received the honour in Nairobi, Kenya, at the recent Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), which was founded in 2013 and focuses on sustainable land use.

“There is so much positive energy in Africa and many opportunities to protect and restore the environment across the continent,” Dawuni said. “And music is a powerful force that brings people together and inspires action.

"I want to work with communities and help them share their successes and encourage them to keep moving forward to make the future brighter for generations to come.”

With the designation, Dawuni is now a member of a long line of UN Environment Goodwill Ambassadors, which includes fellow singer Ellie Goulding, actor Don Cheadle and model Gisele Bundchen. He is "uniquely positioned," says an official statement, "to generate considerable support and publicity among his audience for UN Environment’s messages and goals through engaging, organising, and leading activities specifically targeted to his audience".

“Dawuni’s eloquence, cultural diplomacy and successful melding of music and activism have led him to become a passionate spokesperson for various global causes,” said UN Environment executive director Erik Solheim said.

“We are delighted to share the stage with another Goodwill Ambassador, Suzanna Awiyo, who, like Rocky, is a passionate humanitarian and environmentalist."

GLF 2018 saw more than a thousand policymakers, practitioners, scientists and others highlight successful approaches to landscape restoration in Africa. Community engagement and partnerships emerged as key elements in promoting more sustainable landscapes across the continent.

To help support landscape restoration in Africa, Dawuni announced a crowdfunding initiative by the GLF to support communities whose efforts to repair degraded mangroves, farms and other land came up during the conference.