Singer-actor Henry Lau, better known as Henry, was named a Goodwill Ambassador for the International Vaccine Institute at a ceremony at the IVI’s headquarters in Seoul on Tuesday.

Founded by the UN Development Programme in 1997, IVI is an independent international organization that works on vaccine development, with a focus on creating awareness about the importance of vaccines among the general public, especially in low-income developing countries. 

“IVI is thrilled to have Henry Lau on board,” IVI Director General Jerome Kim said. “We expect that Henry’s global fame, coupled with his warm heart and commitment to humanity, will surely add significant momentum to IVI’s ongoing efforts to discover, develop and deliver vaccines that prevent illness and death in vulnerable populations around the world.”

Henry became familiar with IVI’s mission years ago when his longtime high school friend Justin Im started working as a researcher for the institute.

“I’m excited to be part of IVI’s global mission and I will do my best to spread awareness of life-saving vaccines in order to help vulnerable children all over the world,” Henry said.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)