Spain's Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas looks on during a news conference after being appointed United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva January 24, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on Monday appointed the World Cup winning Spanish soccer goalkeeper Iker Casillas as a Goodwill Ambassador for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

"We are thrilled to have Iker Casillas working with us to help countries reach the MDGs and defeat poverty," said UNDP Associate Administrator Rebeca Grynspan after presenting Casillas with his credentials.

Casillas is joining eight other UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors, including former Real Madrid stars Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, in the programme that aims to promote poverty reduction, education and health on the planet.

"While my job on the pitch is to prevent goals, my job at UNDP will be to help score them," said Casillas. "Bringing attention to the poor conditions people are enduring around the world is essential to motivate action on the world's pledges to improve their lives."

The MDGs are a set of eight globally agreed targets that seek to halve world poverty by 2015 by combating hunger, disease, illiteracy, environment degradation and discrimination against women.

UNDP works in 166 countries around the world to create, realize and monitor each one's own MDG-based national development plans.