
Photo credit: Inez & Vinoodh
Padma Lakshmi
Appointed UNDP Goodwill Ambassador in March 2019, Emmy-nominated television host, producer, award-winning author and one of of 2023, Padma Lakshmi advocates for ending all forms of inequality around the world. Kicking off the Decade of Action by signing an demanding urgent action towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, Lakshmi continues to leverage her influential platform to mobilize support for the Global Goals. Passionate about gender equality, Lakshmi authored an eye-opening op-ed published on on International Women¡¯s Day to shine a spotlight on pervasive gender social norms and biases that hinder women and girls from achieving their potential. As the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate emergency devastated the world, Lakshmi launched UNDP¡¯s campaign to raise awareness of the alarming rate at which the biggest crises of our time are increasing inequalities globally¡ªreaching an audience of 152 million. Coinciding with the UN General Assembly and the Global COVID-19 Summit, Lakshmi spearheaded a women-led campaign called, to shine a spotlight on vaccine inequity between rich and poor countries. The UN Correspondents Association (UNCA) honoured Lakshmi with the for her work on fighting inequality as UNDP Goodwill Ambassador.