Victoria Beckham named as UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador

(Xinhua) Updated: 2014-09-26 09:57

Victoria Beckham speaks with Executive Director of UNAIDS Michel Sidibe during a news conference at the UN headquarters in New York, September 25, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

NEW YORK -- Victoria Beckham was appointed Thursday as UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador.

Pepping up prevention

The announcement was made at a press conference during the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, which runs from Sept. 16 to Oct. 1.

"This is the beginning of an important journey for me. As a woman and a mother I have a responsibility to support other women, " said Beckham, a mother of four.

"I am proud and honored to be working with UNAIDS in this new role to help to raise resources and awareness to support and empower women and children affected by HIV."

In her new role as an ambassador for UNAIDS, Beckham will work toward ensuring that all children are born free from HIV and that children and women who are living with and affected by HIV have access to medicines and care.

Michel Sidib, executive director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), said, "I dream of a generation free from HIV and I know that Victoria's support will help us to achieve this shared goal."

In February, Beckham visited HIV clinics in Cape Town, South Africa, where she learned about the importance of antiretroviral therapy which can reduce the risk of a mother living with HIV passing the virus to her child to below 5 percent and about how children are being left behind in accessing treatment.

"Together we can end the AIDS epidemic," the leading British designer tweeted Thursday.

The UNAIDS leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. It unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations- -UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank, and works closely with global and national partners to maximize results for the AIDS response.