Friday, February 4 @ 10:35 am

All-Conference Plenary Session

Stephen Lewis

| Audio Presentation - part 1 of 2 (MP3 format)
| Audio Presentation - part 2 of 2 (MP3 format)
| Audio Presentation - part 1 of 2 (Windows Media Audio 9)
| Audio Presentation - part 2 of 2 (Windows Media Audio 9)

Stephen Lewis was recently named Maclean's Canadian of the Year and awarded the Pearson Peace Medal for his outstanding achievements in the field of international service and understanding. He holds 20 honourary degrees from Canadian universities and in 2003, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada, Canada's highest honour for lifetime achievement.

From 1984 through 1988, Stephen Lewis was Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations, where he chaired such ground breaking committees as the first International Conference on Climate Change. From 1995 to 1999, Mr. Lewis was Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF and in 1997, he was appointed by the Organization of African Unity to a panel to investigate the genocide in Rwanda. His recent work at UNICEF is merely an extension of a life-long dedication to social causes and improving the human condition. In 2001, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Stephen Lewis as his Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa.

In the light of the recent tsunami disaster, his observations on the role of Canadians and libraries in world issues could not be more timely.