Humanitarian, HIV-AIDS activist and former politician, Stephen Lewis, will be awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 2 p.m. ceremony on Tuesday, June 9, “in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the field of international service and humanitarian assistance.
Stephen Lewis is a professor of global health in the Faculty of Social Sciences at McMaster University. He is chair of the board of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which is dedicated to turning the tide of HIV-AIDS in Africa, and he is co-director of AIDS-Free World in the United States.
For more than two decades, he served the United Nations in a variety of capacities. He was Canada’s ambassador to the UN from 1984 to 1988, the deputy executive director of UNICEF from 1995 to 1999 and was the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for HIV-AIDS in Africa from 2001 through 2006.
Mr. Lewis was elected as a member of the Ontario Legislative Assembly in 1963 and served until 1978. In 1970, he became leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party, during which time he became leader of the official Opposition. Mr. Lewis is the author of the bestselling book Race Against Time. He holds 28 honorary degrees from Canadian universities and is a Companion of the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest honour for lifetime achievement.