Emma Watson Named U.N. Goodwill Ambassador

"I still have so much to learn, but as I progress I hope to bring more of my individual knowledge, experience and awareness to this role," the movie star says

Ten points for Gryffindor!

Emma Watson is the new Goodwill Ambassador for the U.N.'s gender-equality arm, U.N. Women, the organization announced Monday. The Harry Potter star is the first to be appointed under the leadership of Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the Under Secretary-General and executive director of U.N. Women.

"Women's rights are something so inextricably linked with who I am, so deeply personal and rooted in my life that I can't imagine an opportunity more exciting," said Watson, 23, who will work on the organization's women's-empowerment campaign, HeForShe. "I still have so much to learn, but as I progress I hope to bring more of my individual knowledge, experience and awareness to this role."

Mlambo-Ngcuka praised the newly apppointed Noah star, saying in a statement, "We are thrilled and honored to work with Emma, whom we believe embodies the values of UN Women." Mlambo-Ngcuka added that Watson's "intellect and passion," plus her experience promoting girls' education in countries such as Bangladesh and Zambia, will help the organization spread its messages further around the globe.

Watson, who has 13 million Twitter followers, recently graduated from Brown University with a degree in English Literature. On Monday, she tweeted about her UN gig, which caused The U.N.'s website to shut down. "The exciting announcement of @EmWatson's appointment as our Goodwill Ambassador crashed our website!" the organization told its Twitter followers. "We apologize &hope to be back up soon."