The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Monday announced that Iraqi oud player Naseer Shamma would be the UN body's Artist for Peace due to "his commitment to peace, especially by targeting youth during his musical performances."

"Naseer Shamma is named in gratitude to his commitment to the musical education of young people in Iraq and elsewhere and his tireless efforts to carry a message of peace through his concerts," the Paris-based organization said in a statement.

With the new tittle, Shamma "will support the organization's work to improve peace education for young people and the preservation of cultural heritage in Iraq and the region."

Born in 1963 in Kut, Iraq, the oud player "is a musician internationally known for being one of the world's greatest oud virtuosos." He has developed a technique to play the oud with one hand, to allow children wounded during the Gulf War to play music.

For the 1993 to 1998 period, he taught oud at the Tunisian Higher Institute of Music before being named director of the Arab Oud Center in Cairo. Currently, he is director of the "Arab Oud House" in Egypt, an institution he founded in 1999.

The nomination ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 23.

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