NEW YORK, New York, April 16, 2002 (ENS) - United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today named primatologist and environmentalist, Dr. Jane Goodall, a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

“It is an honor to be appointed a United Nations Messenger of Peace by the Secretary-General,” Dr. Goodall says. “I will pledge to take the new responsibility very seriously. I shall attempt to carry the appropriate message as I travel around the world.”

Poster from the Jane Goodall Institute featuring Dr. Goodall and a friend. (Photos courtesy Jane Goodall Institute)

A resident of the United Kingdom and of Tanzania, Dr. Goodall is well known for her pioneering research with chimpanzees in Tanzania which began more than 42 years ago.

This year, Dr. Goodall is deeply involved with the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development set for August 26 through September 4 in Johnannesburg, South Africa. The secretary-general appointed her a member of an advisory panel to assist in promoting the goals of the summit.

The panel was also given the task of looking at new approaches to sustainable development.

In 1977, Dr. Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute, which supports the continued research on primates in the Gombe Stream Research Centre in Tanzania, as well as other environmental research, education and conservation programs. The Gombe Stream Research Centre was founded by Dr. Goodall in 1964 to support her work on chimpanzees. It is one of the longest uninterrupted wildlife studies in existence.

Headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, the Jane Goodall Institute is the center of a network of institutes in 13 other countries, including Canada, China, Holland, Uganda and South Africa.

Dr. Goodall observes chimapnzees through her telescope.

The Goodall Institute's Congo Basin Project, focuses on prevention of the annihilation of chimpanzees.

The institute's Roots and Shoots program encourages and supports students, from preschool through university, in projects that benefit people, animals and the environment. More than 4,000 Roots and Shoots groups exist in nearly 70 countries around the world.

Dr. Goodall is the author of numerous publications. "In the Shadow of Man," and "Through a Window," are both overviews of her work with the chimpanzees at Gombe. She authored the spiritual autobiography, "Reason for Hope," and two autobiographies in letters, "Africa in My Blood" and "Beyond Innocence," and many children’s books.

The culmination of her scientific career, "The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behaviour" is recognized as the definitive work on chimpanzees.

Dr. Goodall’s honors include the Medal of Tanzania for her environmental work, the National Geographic Hubbard Medal and Japan’s Kyoto Prize. In 2001, she received the third Gandhi/King Award for Non-violence, presented by the World Movement for Non-violence.

Since 1997, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed a number of prominent people to serve as Messengers of Peace: Muhammad Ali, Vijay Amritraj, Anna Cataldi, Michael Douglas, Enrico Macias, Wynton Marsalis, Luciano Pavarotti and Elie Weisel.

They are individuals who possess widely recognized talents in the field of arts, literature, music and sports, who have agreed to help focus worldwide attention on the work of the United Nations. Dr. Goodall’s appointment adds the field of science to the range of contributions of these prominent personalities.