The Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award

In 2005, the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund created the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award to recognize individuals and organizations making extraordinary humanitarian contributions through their philanthropy, volunteerism, advocacy or efforts in the field. The award is named for UNICEF's legendary and highly esteemed Goodwill Ambassador who advanced the work of UNICEF with exceptional devotion and grace. Thirteen Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Awards have been granted, nine of which were collaboratively presented by the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund at the annual UNICEF Snowflake Ball in New York.

The Award Statue

The award is a replica of the statue created by renowned artist and sculptor John Kennedy and commissioned by Ms. Hepburn's long-time companion, Robert Wolders. "The Spirit of Audrey" depicts a tall, slender woman holding the hand of a child—evoking countless occasions on Ms. Hepburn's travels to some of the world's most disadvantaged and ravaged spots. The original seven-foot-tall bronze statue is located at the James P. Grant Plaza at UNICEF's New York headquarters.

UNICEF Recipients

2004	Roger Moore, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
2005	Pamela Fiori, U.S. Fund for UNICEF National Board member and founding Project Chair of the UNICEF Snowflake Project
2006	Amy Robbins Towers, U.S. Fund for UNICEF National Board member and Bjorn Ljungqvist, UNICEF Country Representative to Ethiopia
2007	The Pantaleoni Family—U.S. Fund for UNICEF founder Helenka and U.S. Fund for UNICEF National Board chair Anthony and Board member Téa Leoni
2008	Kul Gautam, former Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF
2009	Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Country Representative to Ethiopia
2010	Françoise Gruloos-Ackermans, UNICEF Country Representative to Haiti
2011	Ken Hayami, Executive Director of UNICEF Japan
2012	The 2012 Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award Recipient will receive the award at the U.S. Fund for UNICEF's annual Snowflake Ball in November

Sir Roger Moore (2004)

Sir Roger Moore, the popular British actor, is perhaps best known for his role as secret agent 007 in the James Bond movie series. His friendship with actress Audrey Hepburn steered him towards what has become another pivotal role in his life. "My curiosity got the better of me after Audrey Hepburn introduced me to UNICEF," he says. "I wanted to find out more than just the facts and figures." He was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador on 9 August 1991.

Sir Roger is a steadfast advocate for children, visiting UNICEF-supported programs around the world, bringing attention to child crisis issues and enlisting support and donations. His early missions, including visits to Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala, showed him the desperate conditions faced by many of the world's children and the breadth of UNICEF's work in the field. As the honorary chair of Kiwanis International's Worldwide Service Project—a key UNICEF partner—he helped raise US$91 million for the elimination of iodine deficiency.

An eloquent speaker and fund-raiser, Sir Roger has helped introduce a number of major UNICEF initiatives. In 1995, for example, he launched the "Check out for Children" program, a partnership with Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, which has raised more than US$16 million to support lifesaving immunization programs for children throughout the world.

Pamela Fiori (2005)

Pamela Fiori is founding co–chairperson of the UNICEF Snowflake Project and received the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award at the 2005 Snowflake Ball for her continuing efforts to raise funds and awareness on behalf of UNICEF. For 17 years, she was editor in chief of Town & Country, America's oldest continuously published general-interest magazine. Prior to joining Town & Country, Fiori was widely credited with the success of Travel & Leisure, a publication of the American Express Publishing Corporation, where she was named executive vice president and editorial director in 1989.

Amy Robbins Tower (2006)

Amy Robbins Towers, a dedicated philanthropist, businesswoman, and mother of four young sons, received UNICEF's Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award for her support and transformative leadership in countries such as Niger, Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia, among others. She has not only provided humanitarian aid, but has co-invested with in-country business partners for local production of lifesaving nutritional supplements. Additionally, Mrs. Towers co-founded the Mercury Fund for Emergency Response to provide UNICEF with a readily accessible pool of dedicated resources in the critical early stages of humanitarian crises and emergencies.

Dr. Bjorn Ljungqvist (2006)

Dr. Bjorn Ljungqvist, received the award for his extraordinary and successful efforts as UNICEF Country Representative to Ethiopia to protect the lives of children during the 2002-2003 famine in Ethiopia. Dr. Ljungqvist's Iringa Nutrition Program in Tanzania is now considered a standard nutritional program around the world.

The Pantaleoni Family (2007)

In 1947, one year after the United Nations' Children Fund was established, Helenka Pantaleoni, a World War II widow and advocate of international relief efforts, noticed the need for citizen support for UNICEF and founded the U.S. Committee for UNICEF. The first of its kind, the U.S. Committee was established to educate and inform the American public as well as to raise funds for UNICEF.

During Helenka's 25-year tenure as President, the U.S. Committee raised over $113 million that was turned over to UNICEF, and two projects still popular today, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF and UNICEF greeting cards, began. Moreover, a large and effective network of volunteers throughout the country was established.

The family legacy that began 60 years ago with Helenka continues today through her son Anthony and granddaughter Téa Leoni. Each generation has contributed to the growth and mission of the U.S. Fund in their unique way. Tony, who as a child watched his mother travel to far-away places for UNICEF, is a leader and key member of today’s Board of Directors. Téa has represented UNICEF in the field and helped raise public awareness, initially, as a UNICEF Ambassador and now as a Board member alongside her father.

Bringing the work of UNICEF and the needs of children into the homes of the American public, they have educated and inspired generations to make a difference. By establishing the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, the Pantaleoni family created a model that 36 countries around the world have followed.

Helenka's well-known gracious manner, extraordinary powers of persuasion and overriding fervent concern for the world's children are evident in today's generation through the dedication and commitment of Tony and Téa.

Kul Gautam (2008)

Kul Gautam received the award for his unending dedication and service to children in need around the world. Mr. Gautam, a citizen of Nepal, is the former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF. He has extensive experience in international diplomacy, development cooperation and humanitarian assistance. Mr. Gautam was the key senior UNICEF officer responsible for drafting the Declaration and Plan of Action of the 1990 World Summit for Children, the largest gathering of world leaders in history until that time.

Ted Chaiban (2009)

Ted Chaiban has worked tirelessly on behalf of UNICEF since 1997, beginning as Deputy Chief for Operation Lifeline Sudan, as a Country Representative in Sri Lanka, in his capacity managing UNICEF's response to the crisis in Darfur, and as Country Representative in Ethiopia.

Françoise Gruloos-Ackermans (2010)

Françoise Gruloos-Ackermans received the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award for leading the UNICEF Haiti response to the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake.

She joined UNICEF in September 1991 as Project Officer in Burundi. She served as Monitoring and Evaluation Officer in Madagascar from 1994–1998 until she moved to Comoros Island as Deputy Representative. From 2000–2003, she served as UNICEF Representative in Cuba and subsequently, Representative in Haiti where she was responsible for the implementation of Cooperation Programs including planning, coordination, and evaluation of UNICEF's programs for development and humanitarian assistance.

She was Chief of Program Section in the UNICEF Regional Office in Geneva, in charge of planning and implementation of strategies for children's rights in industrialized countries—especially the 36 countries with National Committees for UNICEF. She was also responsible for the coordination of Education for Development activities by National Committees. Prior to becoming the organization's Representative in Haiti, she served as UNICEF Representative in the Dominican Republic.

Ken Hayami (2011)

Ken Hayami joined the Japan Committee for UNICEF in 2001 as Secretary General; he became Executive Director in 2006. Immediately after the March 11, 2011, earthquake, he established the East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Relief Operation Headquarters and led emergency relief and reconstruction efforts focused on health, education services, psycho-social support and protection aiming at child friendly reconstruction of the affected areas.

Ken accepted the award on behalf of all the Japan Committee for UNICEF staff members who responded so tirelessly and fearlessly to the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. Under his leadership, the Japan Committee partnered with UNICEF emergency relief experts from around the globe to help children and their families whose homes, schools, and communities had been toppled or washed away by this double disaster.

A full list of Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award honorees can be found at: www.audreyhepburn.com.

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