Stephen Lewis, United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in
Africa, is the recipient of the International Council of Nurses' (ICN)
Health and Human Rights Award. The award is given every four years and
bestows the esteem and recognition of the world's 12 million nurses for Lewis'
outstanding humanitarian contributions and achievements in the domain of health
and human rights. The 2001 inaugural recipient of this Award was Sadako Ogata,
former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. It is ICN's only award
given to someone who is not a nurse.
"Stephen's inspirational and tireless advocacy for the
millions of Africans living with AIDS has touched hearts, moved critical policy
forward and opened funding pipelines for access to HIV/AIDS therapy", said ICN
President Christine Hancock. "He has established the critical link between human
rights and health, awakening the conscience of the comfortable and the common
humanity of us all."
The ICN cited Lewis's passionate advocacy for the world's most
vulnerable, and said his service epitomizes the goals and values of ICN and
nursing in the promotion of health and human rights. Lewis has brought special
attention to the suffering and powerlessness of women and advocated relentlessly
for women's rights and gender equality in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.
The award will be formally presented at the ICN 23rd
Quadrennial Congress in Taipei, Taiwan, May 21-27, 2005.