Prominent Egyptian actress Yousra has been named a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador by the Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS for the Middle East and North Africa.
The film starlet was appointed Sunday as the UNAIDS regional goodwill ambassador for MENA at a ceremonial event that was held at the Marriott Hotel in Cairo.
As a UNAIDS goodwill ambassador, the actress follows in the footsteps of other famous stars such as Naomi Watts and Victoria Beckham in using her celebrity to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS and help combat the stigma associated with the disease.
Prominent Egyptian business tycoon Naguib Sawiris and award-winning Lebanese singer and actress Carole Samaha were among those who attended the event.
“It is indeed a historic moment for me," Yousra said at the event, which brought together celebrities, policymakers, other ambassadors, HIV patients, representatives of the private sector, civil society, United Nations agencies and academia, according to UNAIDS .
"I consider it a blessing to be able to have this golden opportunity to give hope and love, along with other UNAIDS goodwill ambassadors around the world, to people excluded from their communities, faced with constant stigma and discriminated against in all aspects of their lives.”
“Yousra is the right person at the right time," said UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Jan Beagle, who announced the appointment, which comes ahead of the United Nations' high-level meeting on AIDS that will take place in New York next June.
"She will be a critical voice for UNAIDS and the AIDS response in the Middle East and North Africa, promoting the implementation and financing of the Arab AIDS Strategy," Beagle added.
Although the prevalence of HIV and AIDS is low in MENA, the rate of new HIV infections in the region is growing rapidly in comparison with other regions in the world.
The estimated number of people acquiring HIV in MENA rose by 26% between 2000 and 2014 in which an estimated 240,000 people were living with HIV, according to the official figures of the United Nations .
Moreover, the United Nations says that there are several factors that have contributed to the increase of new HIV cases in the region, including rising migration resulting from the ongoing refugee crisis, discriminatory stigma and escalating humanitarian emergencies.
Through UNAIDS, the United Nations coordinates efforts with various regional Goodwill Ambassadors and organizations across the world, in hope of reaching its goal of ending the global AIDS epidemic by 2030.