UN Signs On Kamal Haasan For Campaign Against HIV/AIDS

The United Nations Thursday roped in thespian Kamal Haasan to be the agency's ambassador in its campaign to reduce stigma and address the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Addressing students of the Justice Basheer Ahmed Sayeed College for Women here Thursday, Kamal Haasan said, "Today should be the start of a movement. A movement that brings people together in pledging their support for people living with HIV/AIDS."

The essence of the campaign is a pledge written by Kamal Haasan in Tamil, which begins with "Ini oru vidhi seivom" (let's make a new beginning - a line made famous by Tamil poet Subramania Bharati), "Let's make it right".

Kamal Haasan went on to make a moving promise: "People living with HIV have the same rights as I do. To live, to grow, to learn, to dream and to be a part of my world. I promise to uphold their rights and to give them strength in their times of need. I have the power to make our world a fairer, kinder and a better place to be."

"The UN across the globe works to ensure that the basic human rights of every individual are protected," said Pieter Bult, coordinator of the UN team in Chennai, ahead of the world AIDS Day Dec 1, in an effort to combat the infection.

"We are happy today to see the extraordinary participation of people of all walks of life coming together in pledging their support to people living with HIV," he added.