STARS FROM SPORT AND ARTS TEAM UP FOR PHOTOGRAPHS IN UN ANTI-POVERTY CAMPAIGN

STARS FROM SPORT AND ARTS TEAM UP FOR PHOTOGRAPHS IN UN ANTI-POVERTY CAMPAIGN New York, Apr 1 2008 5:00PM Russian tennis ace Maria Sharapova and United States basketball star LeBron James are among 50 celebrities from the fields of sport, arts, fashion and business teaming up in new advertisements organized by the United Nations Development Programme (<"http://www.undp.org/">UNDP) to promote the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs).

The pro bono advertisements, part of a campaign entitled "Team Up Against Poverty," feature the celebrities in pairs as portrayed by top professional photographers. Ms. Sharapova, who is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNDP, and Mr. James were photographed by Patrick Demarchelier.

Under the campaign the celebrities have also agreed to take part in specific anti-poverty activities, such as funding water and sanitation initiatives, supporting educational programmes and assisting HIV/AIDS-related projects, according to a news release issued by UNDP on Friday.

The MDGs are a set of eight targets which more than 190 world leaders pledged in 2000 to try to achieve by 2015, and they include the eradication of poverty, fighting deadly diseases, promoting women's rights and expanding access to safe drinking water.
2008-04-01 00:00:00.000

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