The UN's 'Superhero Man': A Rocking Tribute To a Humanitarian Michele Kelemen - PBS.org
go to original October 11, 2012

"Jan Egeland" performed by Ylvis. A song about international diplomat and former UN Official Jan Egeland. (tvnorge)

It is not often that a United Nations official gets the crowds roaring. But a Norwegian comedy duo managed to get concert goers cheering for Jan Egeland in this video posted on YouTube, describing Egeland as "a United Nations superhero man" and "a peacekeeping machine".

Egeland, who now works for Human Rights Watch, used to run the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and once famously called the U.S. and other rich nations "stingy" on foreign aid. He knew how to grab headlines, raising the alarms after a Tsunami swept through the Indian Ocean and speaking out about manmade disasters in Darfur, Eastern Congo and elsewhere.

Egeland says he was "taken aback" by this unexpected tribute. "I think it is hilarious with its crazy text and great tune," the former UN official writes in an email to NPR.

The Norwegian comedians behind the video told PRI's The World that they filmed that crowd scene by piggybacking on a concert by a Norwegian group called The Mods. It turns out that Egeland's nephew was in the audience and sent his uncle a text message while 25,000 people were screaming his name. Now Egeland is getting messages from all corners of the world, as his former UN colleagues watch the video on YouTube.

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