UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador Catarina Furtado Visits Timor-Leste

DILI, Timor-Leste — UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador Catarina Furtado, a popular actress and television personality, continues to use her celebrity to raise awareness in Portuguese-speaking countries of gender inequalities and health problems facing some of the world’s poorest people.

During a visit to Timor-Leste in July, she and a film crew documented personal stories that highlight the needs of Timorese people and the country’s progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals. Key issues covered included gender-based violence, an increasingly common problem in Timor-Leste, maternal health, and the country’s birth rate, one of the highest in the world.

A documentary of her experience and insights will be televised in Portugal late 2009.