Naomi Watts' New Role

Canada

Naomi Watts' New Role

Mon., May. 15, 2006 10:00 AM PDT by Sarah Hall

Add Naomi Watts to the list of high-profile celebrities choosing to use their star power for more than just the special treatment it commands.

The King Kong star was tapped as a United Nations special envoy on HIV/AIDS Monday, joining the ranks of Nicole Kidman, who was recently named a goodwill ambassador to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), and Angelina Jolie, who has long served as a goodwill ambassador to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

The United Nations said Watts' UNAIDS role would entail using "her talent and profile to raise AIDS awareness and give greater voice to the needs of people living with HIV worldwide."

Watts, 37, recently joined a UNAIDS mission to Zambia, where she visited hospitals clinics, schools and shelters and was "humbled and inspired" by the people she encountered.

"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.

Some 40 million people worldwide are infected with the HIV virus, which leads to AIDS. The highest percentage of HIV-positive individuals live in Africa, where AIDS is the leading cause of death.

When she's not attending to her U.N. responsibilities, Watts will next be seen opposite Edward Norton in the drama The Painted Veil, opening Nov. 17.