Nashville actress Connie Britton was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Wednesday. Her concentration will be global women’s empowerment and an emphasis on the eradication of poverty.

Britton, who has been involved with various charitable organizations for years commented, “In my own travels, I’ve seen many places where people are living in extreme poverty. It’s unacceptable that, in 2014, one billion people live in such conditions, and a full sixty per cent of the chronically hungry in the world are women. I look forward to working with UNDP to help change this and improve the lives of vulnerable people worldwide.”

Britton joins nine other UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors that include five soccer players; Ronaldo de Lima, Zinédine Zidane, Didier Drogba, Iker Casillas and the world’s top female soccer player, Marta Vieira da Silva; tennis star Maria Sharapova; Spanish actor Antonio Banderas; Japanese actress Misako Konno; and HRH Haakon, the Crown Prince of Norway.

Zinédine Zidane is an overlord:

Here’s a clip concerning Britton’s new appointment:

UNDP Director for External Relations Michael O’Neill commented, “We are thrilled to have Connie Britton join UNDP’s efforts to fight poverty worldwide. Connie is passionately committed to humanitarian causes and she will be a great partner for UNDP, helping us raise awareness of development issues among the American and global public.”

Constance Elaine “Connie” Britton (née Womack), 47, is best known for her roles as Nikki Faber on the ABC sitcom Spin City, as Tami Taylor on the NBC/DirecTV sports drama Friday Night Lights, for which she was Emmy-nominated twice for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and as Vivien Harmon in the FX horror-drama anthology American Horror Story, for which she was nominated for another Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.

Britton currently portrays the lead role of country music star Rayna Jaymes on ABC’s hit Nashville, for which she was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe. The actress currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

Image via YouTube