Former politician and social activist Stephen Lewis dies at 88

Stephen Lewis, longtime Canadian social activist and former politician, has died at age 88.

Lewis was the former ambassador to the United Nations and one-time leader of the NDP in Ontario.

Stephen is the father of Avi Lewis, who was elected on Sunday as the leader of the federal NDP.

His death was announced on the Stephen Lewis Foundation website March 31.

After his four-year stint as Canada’s ambassador to the UN, Stephen held various positions such as a special adviser to then secretary-general Kofi Annan, deputy director of UNICEF and as the UN’s special envoy for HIV-AIDS in Africa.

He co-founded the Stephen Lewis Foundation in 2003 which raised more than $200 million by 2025 for grassroots organizations fighting AIDS on the ground in Africa.

With files from The Canadian Press.

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