Who We Are
The Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF) supports community-based organizations that are turning the tide of HIV/AIDS in Africa. They provide care to women who are ill and struggling to survive; assist orphans and other AIDS affected children; reach heroic grandmothers who almost single-handedly care for their orphan grandchildren; and sustain associations of people living with HIV and AIDS. Since 2003, SLF has supported hundreds of community-level initiatives in 15 countries.
ABOUT STEPHEN LEWIS
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As a politician, diplomat and international envoy for humanitarian efforts, Stephen Lewis has dedicated himself to improving the human condition. |
To download an introduction for Stephen Lewis that can be used at speaking engagements and events, or to read his extended biography, please click on the PDF links below:
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Biography of Stephen Lewis (.pdf) |
Stephen Lewis
Formerly the Special Envoy to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Stephen Lewis is the chair of the board of the Stephen Lewis Foundation in Canada. Mr. Lewis is a Professor in Global Health, Faculty of Social Sciences at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. And he is Co-Director of AIDS-Free World, an international AIDS advocacy organization based in the United States.
Stephen Lewis’ work with the United Nations spanned more than two decades. He was the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa from June 2001 until the end of 2006. From 1995 to 1999, Mr. Lewis was Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF at the organization’s global headquarters in New York. From 1984 through 1988, Stephen Lewis was Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations.
Mr. Lewis was an elected member of the Ontario Legislative Assembly from 1963 to1978. In 1970, he became leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party, during which time he became leader of the Official Opposition.
Mr. Lewis was co-chair of the Leadership Programme Committee for the XVII International AIDS Conference, which was held in Mexico City in August 2008. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.
Mr. Lewis is the author of the best-selling book, Race Against Time. He holds 30 honorary degrees from Canadian universities and is a Companion of the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest honour for lifetime achievement. He was awarded the Pearson Peace Medal in 2004 by the United Nations Association in Canada; the award celebrates outstanding achievement in the field of international service and understanding. In 2007, the Kingdom of Lesotho (a small mountainous country in Southern Africa) invested Mr. Lewis as Knight Commander of the Most Dignified Order of Moshoeshoe. The order is named for the founder of Lesotho; the knighthood is the country’s highest honour.
