WHO praises Turkish goodwill ambassadors’ role in increasing COVID-19 awareness
Famous Turkish actress Tuba Büyüküstün, who is also a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, in an organization for refugee children, in Turkey, 2018. (AA Photo)


Turkish celebrities working with various United Nations agencies have joined U.N. and World Health Organization (WHO) to help in conveying key COVID-19 messages to audiences on various social media channels including Instagram and YouTube.

"COVID-19 messages are reaching new audiences in Turkey as goodwill ambassadors from United Nations agencies in the country offer to share information from WHO with their followers. Live broadcasts with these popular celebrities are being posted across various social media channels including Instagram and YouTube," WHO’s regional European office said in a statement on Thursday.

The organization pointed out the efforts of famous Turkish actress Tuba Büyüküstün, actor Mert Fırat and pop singer Edis Görgülü in its message.

It noted that nearly 35,000 people tuned in to watch Büyüküstün’s broadcast organized in coordination with United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), in which the actress discussed the implications of COVID-19 with WHO Public Health Officer, Dr. Bahadır Sucaklı.

"Likewise, film and television star, Mert Fırat, working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), attracted almost 17,000 people to WHO Turkey’s Twitter account, where he cross-checked information about COVID-19 with the experts," the statement added.