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Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesLONDON – Emma Watson has been named a goodwill ambassador for UN Women.
The 24-year-old Harry Potter star tweeted about her new role, saying: “So excited to start work with the AMAZING people at UN Women!”
She added: “Going to be working for the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (!!!).”
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Watson, who has 13 million followers on Twitter, recently appeared in Noah and The Bling Ring after playing Hermione Granger in all eight Potter films. She recently graduated from Brown University with a degree in English literature.
In the official announcement of her new role, Watson said she hopes to “make a real difference” after previously promoting the importance of education for young women, including during visits to Zambia and Bangladesh.
“Women’s rights are something so inextricably linked with who I am, so deeply personal and rooted in my life, that I can’t imagine an opportunity more exciting,” she said. “I still have so much to learn, but as I progress I hope to bring more of my individual knowledge, experience and awareness to this role.”
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UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said, “We are thrilled and honored to work with Emma, whom we believe embodies the values of UN Women.”
She added: “The engagement of young people is critical for the advancement of gender equality in the 21st century, and I am convinced that Emma’s intellect and passion will enable UN Women’s messages to reach the hearts and minds of young people globally.”
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Interest in the news drove online traffic to the organization’s website and crashed it. The organization’s Twitter feed said: “The exciting announcement of @EmWatson’s appointment as our Goodwill Ambassador crashed our website! We apologize & hope to be back up soon.”
Email: Georg.Szalai@THR.com
Twitter: @georgszalai
