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UN special envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa to address General Synod 2004

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Published on 
February 10, 2004

Veteran Canadian politician Stephen Lewis is one of the guest speakers scheduled to address delegates attending the 37th General Synod of the Anglican

Church of Canada, to be held at Brock University in St. Catherines, Ont. He will speak during the HIV/AIDS workshop planned for Wednesday, June 2.

Mr.Lewis was appointed special envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in June 2001.

In this capacity, he has traveled throughout the African continent to learn more about the impact of HIV/AIDS. He works closely with African leaders, a United Nations team, and the resident coordinators in each country he visits.

Before assuming his current responsibilities, Mr. Lewis served as Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) from 1995-1999. From 1984-1998, he served as Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations. In this capacity, he chaired the committee that drafted the Five-Year UN Program on African Economic Recovery.

In 1997, in addition to his UNICEF responsibilities, he was appointed by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to an International Panel of Eminent Personalities to investigate the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda. The “Rwanda Report” was released in June 2000.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Mr. Lewis was a member of the Ontario Legislature, becoming leader of the New Democratic Party and leader of the official Opposition. He holds 18 honorary degrees from Canadian universities. And in 2003, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest honour for lifetime achievement.

In addition to his UN duties, Mr. Lewis has set up a charitable foundation to help local African agencies battle the devastation caused by HIV/AIDS.

The organization’s goals, according to its Web site are:”Easing the plight of those women who are dying from AIDS, helping the orphans they leave behind, and assisting the remarkable efforts of groups of people living with HIV/AIDS.” The foundation plans to work in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and Rwanda.

For more information on Stephen Lewis, visit www.stephenlewisfoundation.org.

Information about the 37th General Synod can be found at: gs2004.anglican.ca

Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.