'I want my daughter to have the same opportunities as my sons - that's not unreasonable,' - Crystal Awardee David Beckham

This transcript has been generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors. Please check its accuracy against the audio.

David Beckham, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador: When I was 17 years old, that's when my real journey with UNICEF started.

I was in Thailand on tour with Manchester United, and I was asked to go to a women's centre. And at 17 years old, I knew right at that moment that I wanted to be involved in this organisation in the future.

Robin Pomeroy, host, Radio Davos: Welcome to Radio Davos, the podcast from the World Economic Forum that looks at the biggest challenges and how we might solve them. This week - why was this footballing superstar in Davos?

Hilde Schwab, Chairperson and Co-Founder, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship: For his extraordinary leadership and humanitarianism in promoting and protecting the rights of the world's most vulnerable children. Please join me in congratulating David Beckham.

Robin Pomeroy: David Beckham was at the Forum’s Annual Meeting to receive an award for his work for the rights of children.

David Beckham: When I walk into these villages and these children are in completely different situations to what my children are, they have the same smiles. And that's what inspires me and that's what gives me hope.

Robin Pomeroy: David Beckham talks to us about the role of men, particularly fathers, in a world where girls often struggle for opportunity.

David Beckham: I want my daughter to have exactly the same opportunities as my sons do. And that's not an unreasonable ask. That is a must.

Robin Pomeroy: Follow Radio Davos wherever you get your podcasts, or visit wef.ch/podcasts where you will also find our sister programmes, Meet the Leader and Agenda Dialogues.

I’m Robin Pomeroy at the World Economic Forum, and with David Beckham.

David Beckham: When you uplift a young girl, you uplift their family, you uplift their communities and it uplifts the world.

Robin Pomeroy: This is Radio Davos.

David Beckham shot to fame in the 1990s playing football for Manchester United and England and he boosted the game’s profile in the USA playing for LA Galaxy. Off the pitch he was at the centre of Cool Britannia era glamour, marrying Posh Spice pop star-turned-fashion designer Victoria.

He’s a global brand, and he has used that fame and influence, among other things, as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations children’s fund, UNICEF, where his 7 Fund - named after the number he wore on the pitch for Manchester United - works in schools around the world to combat bullying, violence, child marriage and missed education.

Beckham, who turns 50 this year, was in Davos to receive a Crystal Award, which the Forum bestows on people in arts and entertainment who have gone beyond the day job to help improve the state of the world.

Here’s he is at the Crystal Awards ceremony, being introduced by Hilde Schwab, chairperson of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.

Hilde Schwab: David Beckham receives the 2025 Crystal Award for his extraordinary leadership and humanitarianism in promoting and protecting the rights of the world's most vulnerable children. Please join me in congratulating David Beckham.

David Beckham: Good evening, everyone. Hilde, thank you so much for your warm words and thank you to the World Economic Forum for this award.

2025 marks my 20 year anniversary as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. I never could have imagined the incredible journey we would go on together.

I've had the privilege of visiting UNICEF programs all around the world, meeting children whose courage and resilience is simply remarkable.

I've always believed in the potential of children, that when children are given time, opportunity and encouragement, they will reach their full potential.

I'm proud to be an advocate for children. I am proud to accept this award on behalf of the incredible organisations, especially UNICEF, that have inspired and supported me on my journey.

To work with UNICEF for 20 years has been a privilege. During this time, I have been blessed to watch my own family grow.

As a father and as an activist for children's rights. I know how important it is to listen to our children, to hear their stories, to shine a light on their struggles and to fight for their future.

Thank you to the children who have inspired me in this work. And thank you to the incredible team at UNICEF who do so much for children everywhere every day. Thank you again to the World Economic Forum for this incredible award. Have a great night.

Robin Pomeroy: You can watch that whole awards ceremony on our website.

At a time when overseas development is under pressure like never before, and with a rise in online misogyny, we thought it would be interesting to ask David Beckham about his work with UNICEF and his role as a father. He sat down in Davos with my colleague Anna Bruce-Lockhart who began by asking David Beckham how he started working with UNICEF.

David Beckham: When I was first asked to be a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF in 2005 by Kofi Annan, it was one of the proudest moments for me because when I was 17 years old, that's when my real journey with UNICEF started.

I was in Thailand on tour with Manchester United, and I was asked to go to a women's centre. And at 17 years old, I knew right at that moment that I wanted to be involved in this organisation in the future. And then I was lucky enough to be made goodwill ambassador.

All of the causes I'm proud of. You know, I think that we've focused on so many different things over that time. We've been to so many different countries. We've been to Sierra Leone, we've been to Nepal, we've been to China, been to Thailand, went to India recently.

And there's so many different situations that I've seen, so many different children that I've met. And the children are just inspiring. You know, of course, there's heartbreaking moments when when I go into the villages and meet these young children, I get inspired more than anything.

You know, I always say that when I walk into that these villages and these children are in completely different situations to what my children are. They have the same smiles. And that's what inspires me and that's what gives me hope.

So, you know, we've focused a lot over the last few years really on the work that we've been doing with 7 Fund. We created the 7 Fund ten years ago and we've obviously been able to affect and help so many children around the world, which I'm very proud of.

But we kind of shifted our focus over the last two years on teenage girls and empowering teenage girls, because over that time I'd noticed how girls get left behind, how girls get treated differently, how girls get pulled out of their schools and their education and forced into early child marriage. And they miss out on that education. They don't get the same access to health care. And these things are so important. So that's what we've been doing for the last few years. Our focus really is on empowering teenage girls to live to their full potential and have the same opportunities as the boys do.

Anna Bruce-Lockhart: You're a father of a girl and boys as well. So this difference that you're seeing in the way that boys and girls are treated around the world, do you think that translates into more developed countries as well? Are you seeing that sort of thing?

David Beckham: Without a doubt. Without a doubt. I've seen it all over the world. You know, it's not just countries that I've visited that are, that don't have the same lifestyle and the same opportunities as other places around the world. You know, I've seen that in developed countries as well.

And, you know, like you say, you know, I have four children. Three of them are boys. One of them is a girl. And I want my daughter to have exactly the same opportunities as my sons do. And that's not an unreasonable ask. That is a must.

You know, equality must be the top of the list for leaders, for business builders, for people in business that can make a change. You know, that must be at the top of their list.

Anna Bruce-Lockhart: And what would you say girls around the world share in terms of the challenges that they face? Because, you know, in the developed world it may be at, say, online harms, It's digital bullying, that kind of thing. Whereas in developing countries, lots of needs are much more concrete. What would you say unites girls all over the world in terms of what they're facing?

David Beckham: What unites girls is the opportunity.

You know, girls just want the opportunity. You know, I've seen how driven these young girls are, you know, whether it be in Sierra Leone, whether it be in Nepal, whether it be in Thailand, whether it be in China, where girls are not getting the same opportunities, but they want those opportunities.

You know, I've always said that when you uplift a young girl, you uplift their family, you uplift their communities and they uplift the world.

So those are the opportunities girls need to be given. And it's simple as that. You know, being given the opportunity, being given equal rights to education, equal rights to healthcare, these things are so important.

Anna Bruce-Lockhart: And what would you say is the role of male leaders in this kind of situation? So obviously, at the moment we're seeing the fairly visible lack of really positive male role models in the world. How important do you think it is to be that kind of positive role model?

David Beckham: Well, in my opinion, I can only speak for myself. It's an easy decision to make. You know, yes, I'm a man, but do I want my wife to have the same opportunities as me? Absolutely. I'd even go to say I'd want my wife to have a better opportunity than me, because girls do get left behind no matter where it is in the world. Girls need to be treated exactly the same. And that's why my focus always and for the last few years has been on empowering young teenage girls.

Because that is the reality. Girls get left behind. And it's simple as that.

So, yes, we have leaders that have to set the example. Yes, we have business leaders that set the example.

But I was lucky. I was brought up in a household where that happened. Not everyone is as lucky as that. But we have a responsibility as simple as that. As a role model. You know, and I never like to speak about myself as a role model. I like other people to do it. But as a role model, that is a responsibility.

Anna Bruce-Lockhart: And you find that translates into fatherhood as well, because obviously you're raising a family in this world with all these headwinds. How do you set an example to your loved ones for how to behave and what to expect in the world and how they should present themselves?

David Beckham: Well, I suppose my children are the lucky ones. They've grown up in a household where even though - I said it in the documentary - we both come from working class backgrounds. Victoria's dad is a hard worker and always has been a hard worker. My mum and dad always been hard working. So we instilled the values that we had growing up into our children. Yes, they have a different life to what we had growing up, but speaking for myself and speaking for Victoria, we're able to give our children those values. That's easy. You know, whether they listen or not, that's a different thing.

You know most of the time you know what teenagers are like. Sometimes you think they're listening. Sometimes you think they're not listening, but actually they are. You know, I just did a talk in there where I said, you know, funnily enough, I'm very traditional. I'm very traditional in my values. You know, I believe in, you know, eye contact. I believe in shaking hands. I believe in hugging. I believe the opening a door for a woman and letting a woman walk through before you do or standing up at a table when a woman leaves the table is the right thing to do. That was how I was brought up, and that's what I've done with my children. And thankfully, they've listened.

Anna Bruce-Lockhart: So as you turn 50 this year, do you have any personal or philanthropic goals you would like to achieve?

David Beckham: You know, turning 50, you know, people keep talking about it and it's something I'm looking forward to.

You know, I'm very proud of what I've achieved in my career over the years. I'm very proud of, you know, where the business is and where Victoria's business is as well and how hard, obviously she works.

But on my charity work, you know, I want to continue to raise the bar. It's simple as that. You know, I understand that with my social media following, you know, with the platform that I have, I can make a difference. I can put that to a good cause.

What comes with having the platform that I have comes a huge responsibility. And when you realise that and when you understand that and when you can make that into a good thing, you know, social media can be bad, but social media can also be very positive. And that's what we've always tried to do. We've tried to always shine a light on situations.

You know, it's one of the things that I did with a perinatal nurse in Kharkiv when the conflict started. You know, I handed my Instagram over to her to highlight the incredible work that she was doing delivering babies through conflict. And that's the positive things that we can do.

You know, I've also given my Instagram over for a day to a young girl who was being bullied in one of the places that we visited in UNICEF. And it was incredible moment.

So that's what I want to continue to do. It's the thing that I love most. It's the thing that I really focus on more than anything in my life, really, because I know it's the most important.

Anna Bruce-Lockhart: You mentioned online bullying. This is something that seems to be a sort of pervasive and growing threat at the moment there don't seem to be huge guardrails in place to kind of protect kids from all the harms that are happening online from unknown agents and also their friends. Could you paint a picture of what you see as the problem in terms of who's most vulnerable and what to do about it?

David Beckham: Well, I think all children are vulnerable for that. You know, it doesn't matter what their background is, unfortunately. It doesn't matter what their age is. And it's not just children. Adults also go through the same thing. And it becomes as serious as it is when you're a child.

So, you know, there has to be some protection in there. We have to work hard with that. You know, the business leaders and and the most intelligent people in business are here in Davos this week. So those are the things that we need to focus on protecting the future, protecting children from bullying.

But unfortunately, that is the way of life. And it has to stop. It has to stop. You know, I have young children. I also have children that are 25 and they all go through it. They all get bad things said about them. And fortunately, our children have always been taught to open up to talk to us. And fortunately, all four of our children open up, sometimes a little bit too much, but they open up.

Not every parent has that, and that is the problem. You know, children need to be given the opportunity to be able to talk and to feel that they're in a safe place, to be able to talk.

Anna Bruce-Lockhart: So are there any particular focuses, philanthropic focuses that you're going to be devoting your attention to in the near future?

David Beckham: Empowering young people. That's the thing that I have always focused on - protection of children, not just girls. Our focus is always on children in general.

So that is the one thing that we will always champion for because it's the most important thing. It's an obvious thing to say, but they're our future and we need to protect them as much as we can. And if that's empowering them to make a difference, then that's where we start.

Anna Bruce-Lockhart: And what keeps you personally motivated to keep advocating for kids rights day after day?

David Beckham: The children. It's simple as that, you know? I know it's an obvious answer. And but it's the children that I meet. And as children that I've met over the last 20, 25 years that motivate me every day, my children motivate me, and my wife motivates me. You know, my team around me motivate me. But the biggest thing is the kids, as simple as that.

Robin Pomeroy: David Beckham. You can watch him collect his Crystal Award, alongside fellow laureates, the fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg and architect Riken Yamamoto on our website.

Please follow Radio Davos wherever you get your podcasts and please, if you have a moment, leave us a rating or review on the app where you're listening to this. Find all our podcasts, including Meet the Leader and Agenda Dialogues at wef.ch/podcasts.

This episode of Radio Davos was presented by me, Robin Pomeroy, with reporting by Anna Bruce-Lockhart, editing was by Jere Johansson and studio production by Taz Kelleher.

We will be back next week, but for now thanks to you for listening and goodbye.