Nicole Kidman named UN ambassador

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Nicole Kidman has a new role _ working to advance women's rights around the globe as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. The Oscar-winning actress will work with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) on "critical gender concerns such as ending violence against women," according to a U.N. statement Thursday. "I am honored that UNIFEM has asked me to serve as goodwill ambassador and I look forward to a close, long-term relationship," Kidman said at a news conference at the U.N. She joins Princess Basma of Jordan, who focuses her attention on the Middle East, and Phoebe Asiyo, a member of the Kenyan Parliament, as a UNIFEM ambassador. Since the 1950s, U.N. agencies have enlisted the help of prominent personalities from the arts and sports worlds to highlight key issues, including Angelina Jolie, who has traveled widely as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N.'s refugee agency. Kidman's screen credits include "The Interpreter," a 2005 thriller in which she played a U.N. interpreter caught up in a cloak-and-dagger assassination attempt. The 38-year-old actress won an Oscar for her role in 2002's "The Hours." She also has starred in the films "Moulin Rouge!" and "The Peacemaker."