Shakira, Jude Law, Goldie Hawn and Lang Lang join education emergency coalition
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Campaigning celebrities Shakira, Jude Law, Goldie Hawn and Lang Lang have joined the fight to get all of the world鶹APPs children into school.
The Colombian pop star, the British movie actor, the American screen legend and the Chinese pianist have become members of the Emergency Coalition for Global Education Action. They are joined by world-renowned figures such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
The celebrities will appeal to their millions of fans across the globe to make their voices heard on behalf of the 57 million out-of-school children before the end of 2015 through a 500-Day Global Education Countdown Campaign.
The coalition was launched at with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Shakira is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and has campaigned for children鶹APPs rights for many years. In 2010, she was awarded a United Nations agency medal for being 鶹APPa true ambassador for children and young people, for quality education and social justice鶹APP.
The singer-songwriter, best known for hits such as Whenever, Wherever and Hips Don鶹APPt Lie, founded the in 1997 which helps poor children get a quality education.
Shakira said: 鶹APPThe Emergency Coalition for Global Education is challenging society to see how many kids we can get into school by the end of 2015.
鶹APPWe have 500 days to make a real difference. Help us spread the word to get children out of the street and into the classroom.鶹APP
Actor Jude Law has won an army of fans with his starring roles in movies including Sherlock Holmes, Cold Mountain and The Talented Mr Ripley.
He supports several charities and causes. As an ambassador for , he filmed in Afghanistan and interviewed children, community leaders and government officials.
Oscar-winning actress Goldie Hawn became a household name in the United States through the 1960s TV comedy Rowan & Martin鶹APPs Laugh-In. She went on to make a string of successful movies including There鶹APPs A Girl In My Soup, Private Benjamin and The First Wives Club.
Goldie is also a producer, director, author and children鶹APPs advocate.
She founded , which developed a training programme for teachers and children aimed at providing social end emotional learning skills.
Lang Lang is a UN Messenger of Peace. In 2008, he launched the in New York to enrich the lives of children through a deeper understanding and enjoyment of classical music and to inspire and financially support the next generation of musicians.
He said: 鶹APPThe key to peace and development in the world can only be achieved through education. Let us, therefore, unite all our efforts to support the dedicated and important work of the Emergency Coalition for Global Education.鶹APP
Other members of the Emergency Coalition include:
鶹APP Raj Shah, Administrator, US Agency for International Development
鶹APP Alice Albright, CEO, Global Partnership for Education
鶹APP Strive Masiyiwa, CEO, Econet Wireless
鶹APP Kailash Satyarthi, Chairperson, Global March Against Child Labour
鶹APP Aliko Dangote, Chair, Dangote Group and Founding Member, Global Business Coalition for Education
鶹APP Jim Wallis, Founder, Sojourner
鶹APP Archbishop Desmond Tutu
鶹APP Ricken Patel, Executive Director, Avaaz
鶹APP Fred van Leeuwen, General-Secretary, Education International
鶹APP Isha Isatu Sesay, Anchor, CNN International and HLN
鶹APP Mabel van Oranje, Chair, Girls Not Brides
The 2015 Countdown Summit also featured the .