Did you know that women make up 61 per cent of people living with AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, and the percentage increases to 75 per cent among young women between the ages of 15 to 24?

These are the startling facts that keep veteran diplomat and former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis, fighting for human rights and the lives of people affected by the deadly virus in third world countries.

On September 14th, the UN’s 192 member states unanimously passed a resolution establishing a new UN agency, specifically for women.

Commenting on behalf of AIDS-Free World, Lewis said, “we see this not as an end but a beginning – the UN’s first attempt to form a serious gender entity, and the Secretary-General’s opportunity to make a monumental change both in the way the UN operates, and in the lives of women everywhere.”