Don Cheadle named UN Goodwill Ambassador

Don Cheadle named UN Goodwill Ambassador

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) - Actor "Don Cheadle":http://www.thegrio.com/topics/Don-Cheadle has become a spokesman for the United Nations environment program. He was "appointed Saturday in Rwanda's capital":http://www.rnanews.com/economy/3517-gorilla-kwita-izina-with-a-global-unusual-taste- as a "U.N. Environment Program":http://www.unep.org/ Goodwill Ambassador and vowed to fight climate change and promote environment conservation. UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner announced the appointment, saying that Cheadle would help raise green awareness among millions of people around the globe. Cheadle also named a baby gorilla Zoya, a name chosen by internet users as part of a UNEP awareness program. In 2004, Cheadle starred in the film "_Hotel Rwanda_":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Rwanda which told the world about the Rwandan genocide in 1994 that claimed the lives of more than 500,000 people, mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The Rwandan government, however, was critical of the film. _Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed._