Cancelled - Former United Nations Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis to Speak at UNC Wilmington

Monday, March 17, 2008

Regrettably, the UNCW Leadership Lecture Series presentation of Stephen Lewis for tonight, Monday, March 24 at 7 p.m. in Kenan Auditorium has been cancelled due to severe airport delays in New York where Mr. Lewis has been delayed. UNCW Presents is working to reschedule Stephen Lewis for a future date.

We will honor ticket refunds for the Stephen Lewis lecture for tickets purchased, or you can convert your tickets into a tax-deductible donation in support of the series. To make ticket arrangements, please call the Kenan Box Office staff at 910.962.3500.

The staff of UNCW Presents apologizes for any inconvenience created by this cancellation. Thank you for your understanding. For more information, please contact our office at 910.962.3285 or visit www.uncw.edu/presents.

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Internationally renowned humanitarian Stephen Lewis will speak at 7 p.m., Monday, March 24 in Kenan Auditorium at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. His lecture, "Time to Deliver: Winning the Battle Against Poverty & Disease in the Developing World" will explore the political, diplomatic and human rights dimensions of the AIDS crisis sweeping Africa. The talk is presented by the UNCW Leadership Lecture Series and is co-sponsored by the Graduate School, Graduate Student Association and the Honors Scholars Program. It will be followed by a question and answer period and book signing.

While more than 25 years have passed since the discovery of AIDS, Africa is a continent groaning with the burden of overwhelming infections. It is a health care environment that Lewis describes as "crushing and suffocating," one that suffers from a critical shortage of health care professionals as the number of deaths grow and generations are wiped out. The impact on women in Africa is astounding; the human rights issue, even more compelling. As this beleaguered land absorbs the full force of the HIV/AIDS catastrophe, there is hope in creative solutions for this crisis. Stephen Lewis shares his experience as a diplomat and politician who has focused much of his humanitarian efforts on the African continent with a career at the United Nations spanning more than two decades. He is the recipient of many national and international awards and recognitions for his worldwide influence on humanity.

Prior to his appointment in 2001 as Special Envoy to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Stephen Lewis served as UNICEF Deputy Executive Director from 1995 to 1999, was appointed by the Organization of African Unity to a panel to investigate the genocide in Rwanda in 1997, and worked as Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations from 1984 to 1988.

He serves on the World Health Organization's Commission on Social Determinants of Health and directs the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which he founded in 2003. Through this organization, he provides community-level care to HIV-infected women who are dying, assists orphans and other AIDS-affected children in Africa, and supports associations of people living with HIV/AIDS so they can educate themselves and their communities. The foundation currently funds more than 60 initiatives with 35 organizations in 12 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Lewis is also co-director of AIDS-Free World, a new international AIDS advocacy organization, based in the United States. His best-selling book, Race Against Time, was a finalist for the Writers' Trust Award and the Trillium Book Award. He was also listed by TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005.

Media contact:

Shannon Hooker, UNCW Presents, at 910.962.7600 or hookers@uncw.edu

BOX OFFICE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets are $9 for the public and free to UNCW students, faculty and staff. For tickets, call Kenan Box Office 910.962.3500. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and one hour prior to the event.

About UNCW Leadership lecture Series

The Leadership Lecture Series serves as a forum for intellectual inquiry and discussion offering the campus and community opportunities to discuss and explore the political, cultural and economic trends and issues that shape and affect our communities today. By inviting a speaker to the campus, the university does not endorse any particular position. Expect to be enlightened, challenged and inspired. For more information, please visit the web site at uncw.edu/presents.