Stephen Lewis, the Canadian diplomat, politician, and human rights advocate who dedicated decades to focusing global attention on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, has died of cancer at the age of 88. Lewis served as Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, led Ontario's New Democratic Party, and was a prominent figure in international efforts to combat the pandemic.

In a statement, his family said: "Stephen spent the last eight years of his life battling cancer with the same indomitable energy he brought to his lifelong work: the unending struggle for justice and dignity for every human life. The world has lost a voice of unmatched eloquence and integrity." Prime Minister Mark Carney paid tribute, calling Lewis "a pillar of compassionate leadership in Canadian democracy, and a renowned global champion for human rights and multilateralism."

Lewis led the Ontario NDP from 1970 to 1978, serving as official opposition leader from 1975 to 1977. After leaving politics, he was appointed Canada's ambassador to the UN, then served as special adviser to the UN Secretary-General on African affairs, deputy director of UNICEF, and UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. His work in regions devastated by disease and neglect left a profound impact, with Lewis describing scenes of "unendurable human desolation" in his first UN speech in 2006.

A skilled orator, Lewis reserved his sharpest criticism for wealthy nations and global institutions. In a 2011 speech at Yale University, he questioned: "It's not just the fact that people will die; it's the fact that those who have made the decision know that people will die. How does that get rationalized? How does that get dealt with in the inner sanctums of development ministries and cabinet discussions? What in God's name do they say to each other?"

Driven to combat disease and poverty, Lewis co-founded the Stephen Lewis Foundation with his daughter Ilana Landsberg-Lewis in 2002, frequently traveling to African countries disproportionately affected by pandemics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he called for vaccine equity and criticized the Canadian government for accessing doses from an international vaccine-sharing pool. Two schools in Toronto are named after him, he held 42 honorary degrees, and was awarded the Order of Canada in 2002.

Source: www.theguardian.com