Goodwill Ambassadors
Outstanding public figures, eminent businessmen and industrialists from various regions of the world are selected to improve UNIDO's visibility, profile and global reach, both with governments and the private sector. The Goodwill Ambassadors champion UNIDO's core theme – the role of manufacturing and sustainable industrial development in the overall development process.
Rajendra K. PACHAURI, India
Rajendra K. Pachauri has been the Chief Executive of the New Delhi-based Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) since 1981. In April 2002 he was elected chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), established by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme in 1988, and later endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly. In 2007, the IPCC, along with former US Vice President Al Gore, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Pachauri has served on several international and national committees including the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, and the Advisory Board on Energy which reported directly to the Prime Minister of India, and has been a Senior Advisor to the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. He has been active in several international forums dealing with the subject of climate change and its policy dimensions.
Mansour CAMA, Senegal
Mansour Cama is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Senegalese Investment Company, which oversees business in trade ranging from fishing industries and leather processing to shoe manufacturing and water distribution. He is a founding member of Senegal's National Confederation of Employers and has been its chairman since 1993.
Cama believes that the best way to combat poverty in Africa is through private sector promotion, job creation and income generation. In his opinion, "Strengthened cooperation between the private sector, governments and partners, such as UNIDO, can become the key to making sure that trade promotes growth."
Marcos PONTES, Brazil
Marcos Pontes is one of the most experienced jet pilots in the Brazilian Air Force. In 1998, he was selected by the Brazilian Space Agency to train to be an astronaut. On March 30 2006, Pontes became the first Brazilian and the first native Portuguese-speaking person to go into space, where he stayed on the International Space Station for a week. During his trip, he carried out eight experiments selected by the Brazilian Space Agency.
Although from a poor background, growing up in the suburbs of Sao Paulo, he achieved his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut by completing his elementary education and then undertaking professional skills training that enabled him to commence subsequent studies in aeronautical technology and engineering.
On accepting his appointment as a UNIDO Goodwill Ambassador, Pontes said, "Looking from space, earth is a unique and beautiful planet. We have seven billion people trying to live with some quality on this wonderful blue home, but that will not be possible if we try it selfishly. We need to get together and prepare the new generation to be citizens of one world. UNIDO can help in this challenge, and I am honoured to accept the nomination to cooperate as UNIDO Goodwill Ambassador for a better future on earth."
