UNICEF mourns death of Goodwill Ambassador Sir Peter Ustinov
GENEVA/NEW YORK, 2 April 2004 – The funeral of actor and
writer Sir Peter Ustinov, who died early Monday in
Switzerland at the age of 82, will be held on Saturday in
Geneva. UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy will speak
at the funeral on behalf of United Nations Secretary-General
Kofi Annan.
Sir Peter was a uniquely effective and beloved UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassador for more than 35 years.
“The children of the world have lost a true friend in Sir
Peter Ustinov,” Bellamy said. “Sir Peter had a magical way
with children and an inimitable way of making their problems
matter to people all over the world. He was one of UNICEF’s
most effective and beloved partners, a man who exemplified
the idea that one person can make a world of difference.”
Born in London in 1921 to Russian, German, French and
Italian ancestry, Sir Peter said he had “automatic loyalty
to something like the United Nations.” Though he achieved
international acclaim as an actor, producer, playwright,
novelist and racounteur, Sir Peter will be remembered as
much for his work on behalf of children as his contribution
to the arts. Among countless awards and honors, he was
knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his
artistic and humanitarian achievements in 1990.
“When Sir Peter said, at the age of 77, that he was ‘not a
person who retires very easily,’ it may have been one of
his greatest understatements,” Bellamy said. “There are few
parts of the globe where Sir Peter did not travel to meet
with and advocate for children, and few communities that
were not made better by his attention.”
Appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1968, Sir Peter
fulfilled the voluntary position with his customary zeal.
His travels on behalf of UNICEF took him to China, Russia,
Myanmar, Cambodia, Kenya, Egypt and Thailand, among other
countries.
Sir Peter lobbied governments to recognize the rights of all
boys and girls. He lent his stature, persuasiveness and
sophisticated wit to countless events that raised hundreds
of millions of dollars for UNICEF’s progammes to ensure that
all children survive and thrive through adolescence.
Sir Peter hosted scores of international television
specials and benefit concerts for UNICEF, always artfully
blending entertainment and education to bring worldwide
attention to the issues facing the world’s children. He did
it with humour and aplomb. Hosting his first gala, at
Paris’ Odeon Theatre in 1969, he didn’t miss a beat when a
Polish National Ballet dancer portraying a mountaineer
accidentally chopped his microphone cord. Sir Peter simply
continued as planned, shouting at the audience for the rest
of the evening.
Sir Peter spoke eight languages, but his true gift was the
universal language of childhood. If he couldn’t speak
directly to children, he would make them laugh any way he
could, even if it meant – and it often did – getting down on
all fours and making uncannily life-like animal noises.
“Sir Peter could make anyone laugh,” Bellamy said. “His one-
man show in German was the funniest performance I have ever
seen – and I don’t speak a word of German.”
Sir Peter didn’t visit children to observe them, but to
engage them. He played ping-pong with children in Egypt,
rode bicycles with them in Kenya, vaccinated them in China,
and danced with them in Cambodia and Thailand.
The films of Sir Peter’s historic 1986 visit to child health
and education projects in China and 1993 visit to hospitals,
shelters and care facilities in Russia alerted millions of
people to the plight of children in both those countries.
During decades of meeting with and advocating for the
world’s neediest children, Sir Peter maintained what
appeared to be endless energy and optimism.
“Sir Peter never lost his belief that the world could
change, and that even children living in the most
heartbreaking conditions could see a better future,”
Bellamy said. “We will miss him terribly, but will keep his
memory alive the best way we know – by emulating his
unwavering commitment to give children everywhere the life
they deserve.”
On behalf of everyone at UNICEF, Bellamy extended her
deepest sympathies to Sir Peter’s family.
www.unicef.org/media/media_20193.html
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