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Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau praised the United Nations and its humanitarian work in an interview with Euronews, defending the power of “coming together” in a turbulent world.
Coster-Waldau, who rose to international fame in the series Game of Thrones and is part of a group of Scandinavian actors to reach success in Hollywood, said the institution is far from a “woke club” and does valuable work for communities from climate to fighting hunger, even if he acknowledged it is in need of reform and “isn’t perfect.”
“I believe it is valuable and it is important,” he told Euronews. The UN “was built on the ruins of the Second World War, to come together, to say let’s not fight, let’s talk it out and let’s use diplomacy. Is the UN perfect? No. Is it in need of reform? Absolutely.”
But “the alternative, where we just go and fight it out – and we have done that before – wasn’t a good idea,” he added. Coster-Waldau became a UNDP goodwill ambassador in 2016 dedicated to raising awareness for climate change and gender equality.
The platform gathers actors, sports figures and artists to raise awareness about the UN’s development programmes. In the past, it has included names such as Russian-born tennis star Maria Sharapova and French football icon Zinedine Zidane.
While the United Nations has served as a hub for international diplomacy for decades, it has come under fire from the US administration, with Donald Trump accusing the institution of failing to resolve conflicts while pursuing a left-leaning agenda.
To counter it, Trump launched a controversial Board of Peace looking to replace the UN’s structure even if questions about its charter and hierarchy concentrating most powers on the US president, who also serves as chair, remain. Most Europeans countries have refused to join the Board on the basis that it violates the UN’s own charter.
The Board of Peace was initially conceived as platform to run Gaza following the phase 1 part of a US-led plan inked last year to end the war between Israel and Hamas but has since transformed to cover all global conflicts. Critics suggest the US President is building a private members’ club to push his agenda and make money.
Commenting on the Board, Coster-Waldau told Euronews the concept is akin to internet trolling: “Just hear it out loud, Board of Peace.”
“So, we’re done with peace; we just want to get rich quick?” he added.
“If you’re cynical, you could argue it’s always been about money somehow. Any power grab. But that’s also we need to say; let’s stay together and find a way where it’s not just the strongest and biggest who control the world. And that’s why the UN is important.”
Watch the full interview on Europe Today, Euronews’ flagship morning show every Monday to Friday from 8am CET on television, euronews.com and YouTube.