Action movie star Jet Li appointed WHO ambassador

Source: Sina

The World Health Organisation has chosen Chinese action movie star Jet Li as a Goodwill Ambassador to champion key health issues, the UN agency said Friday.

"Jet Li is expected to use his worldwide celebrity to raise attention on key health issues including public health responses to emergencies and mental health," the WHO said in a statement.

He will attend the launch of the World Health Day in Beijing on April 7 in his new WHO capacity.

WHO Director General Margaret Chan -- who hails from Hong Kong -- said his involvement in community work would be a "great asset" to the WHO.

In December 2004, Beijing-born Jet Li and his family had a brush with death as they were in a Maldives hotel which was flooded during the tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean.

Following that incident, he turned to philantrophy and started a charity called One Foundation, which aims to help victims of natural disasters.

On his latest appointment, Jet Li said: "If we do not take care of our bodies, we will not be able to do many things. This is our common belief, and I will do my very best to spread this shared belief to the world."

He began learning Chinese martial arts from the age of eight and was a national champion. He started his film career at 17, after retiring from the sport.

It's wonderful when movies stars gives back by doing community work :)