The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) appointed Lebanese singer Yara as its Regional Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa.
The renowned singer was appointed on Saturday in a contract-signing ceremony that was held through an online video conference.
“I am just delighted to receive this appointment with UNICEF,” Yara said after signing the contract, adding, “I look forward to working with my friends at UNICEF to advance children’s issues across the region.”
In turn, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Ted Chaiban, said: “It is an absolute honor to welcome Yara to the UNICEF family in the region.”
“We are grateful for all of Yara’s effort to support our work especially in the #MaskUp campaign to encourage more people to wear masks to protect against the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.
Yara, who currently lives in Dubai, is a former Ambassador to the Lebanese Red Cross and the European Union with a focus on youth.
Her music is very popular in Lebanon and the Arab World, and her songs, several of which are in different Arabic dialects, have been played hundreds of millions of times on various platforms in the region.
Yara has also garnered a massive following on social media, totaling nearly 24 million followers on different platforms, including 9.3 million on Instagram, 4.1 million on Twitter, and 1.3 million on YouTube.
