Naomi Watts named UN AIDS envoy

GENEVA (Reuters) – Naomi Watts, the Oscar-nominated actress
who starred in King Kong and Mulholland Drive, was named on
Monday as a special United Nations envoy on HIV/AIDS.

UNAIDS said that in the role, Watts would “use her talent
and profile to raise AIDS awareness and give greater voice to
the needs of people living with HIV worldwide.”

The 37-year-old, born in Britain and raised in Australia,
recently joined a UNAIDS mission to Zambia where she visited
clinics, hospitals, schools and shelters.

Watts said she was “humbled and inspired” by those she met.

“I only hope that, as a UNAIDS Special Representative, I
can do my small part to raise AIDS awareness and to encourage
greater international support for the vital work being done on
the ground,” she said in a statement.

About 40 million people worldwide are infected with HIV,
the virus that leads to AIDS. Most sufferers live in Africa
where AIDS is the leading cause of death.