As secret agent James Bond, Daniel Craig has a license to kill, but on Tuesday the United Nations gave the British actor a 'license to save' by appointing him as the first global advocate for the elimination of mines and explosive hazards. Craig - who's often seen standing dangerously close to explosions as the dapper, martini-drinking agent 007 - will spend the next three years raising awareness for the U.N. Mine Action Service and political and financial support for the cause. 'You have been given a license to kill (as James Bond), I'm now giving you a license to save,' U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Craig at United Nations headquarters in New York. Scroll down for video . Anti-mine advocate: Daniel Craig, despite having a job where his job is often to pretend to blow things up, was named on Tuesday the first global advocate for the United Nations' Mine Action Service . Often around explosions: Craig - who's often seen standing dangerously close to explosions as the dapper, martini-drinking agent 007 - will spend the next three years raising awareness for the U.N. Mine Action Service and political and financial support for the cause . The United Nations said 162 States are parties to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. Last year, the United Nations said it destroyed more than 400,000 land mines and explosive remnants of war and more than 2,000 tons of obsolete ammunition. 'I am honored to accept this role, I'm humbled that I will get the chance to work next to people who are risking their lives every day to help ordinary people live ordinary lives,' said Craig. 'I will do my very best.' Craig continued: . 'The briefing from the Secretary-General, and from all of the United Nations staff I have met, demonstrated the enormity of the task. 'The use of improvised explosive devices in Iraq, Somalia and Mali; the widespread use of 'barrel bombs' in Syria, and the landmine contamination in Cambodia, Colombia and Afghanistan must all be addressed simultaneously. It is a big job. The United Nations needs political and financial support to succeed.' Long post: Craig will spend the next three years raising awareness for the U.N. Mine Action Service and political and financial support for the cause . 'You have been given a license to kill (as James Bond), I'm now giving you a license to save,' U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Craig at United Nations headquarters in New York . The U.N. Mine Action Service has been working to clear mines, educate on their risks, assist their victims, destroy stockpiles and advocate for the elimination of landmines and explosive hazards since 1997. The appearance was one of the first for Craig since an on-set injury led to a brief hospital stay. Daniel Craig has had arthroscopic knee surgery in between filming the latest Bond flick 'Spectre.' Producers say he underwent a 'minor procedure' during the Easter production break. He is believed to have suffered the injury while filming action scenes for 'Spectre' in Mexico. Eon Productions said Monday Craig will rejoin the production when it resumes filming at the famed Pinewood Studios in England on April 22. Sad lesson: Daniel Craig  listens to Mine Action Service project manager, Stephen Pritchard (right), about the difficulties of removing explosive ordinance with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (C) and the director of the UN mine action service, Agnes Marcaillou . Honored: Craig  greetsSecretary General Ban Ki-moon, as he arrives for a service designating him as the UN Global Advocate for the Elimination of  Mines and Explosive Hazards . The piercing gaze and tight lipped smile were on display in New York .
The James Bond actor was given a 'license to save' by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York on Tuesday . Craig will spend the next three years raising awareness for the U.N. Mine Action Service and political and financial support for the cause . Just last month, Craig walking cooly through smokey debris moments after a massive move magic explosion erupted on a Mexico City street .