UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan opened IYV in November 2000 in New York. Other speakers at the event included Capeling-Alakija; Felipe VI of Spain (then Prince of Asturias; Nadia Comaneci, Olympic Gold Medalist; representatives from the governments of Japan, Uganda and Brazil; Dr. Astrid Heiberg, then President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); Anita Roddick, then CEO of The Body Shop; Bernard Kouchner, then of UNMIK in Kosovo; Sergio Vieira de Mello, then of UNTAET in East Timor; UN Volunteers from the Philippines and Nigeria; and representatives from NetAid.[8] Annan also appointed the former President of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings, as the first IYV Eminent Person, to help raise the profile of millions of volunteers working for peace and development around the world. Other IYV Eminent Persons named for the year included Crown Prince Felipe, Roddick, and the former Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Nafis Sadik.[2]