Aishwarya Rai named UNAids goodwill ambassador

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The United Nations (UN) has named Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai Bachchan a goodwill ambassador focusing on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (Aids).

Rai Bachchan's appointment was announced on Monday by the Joint UN Programme on HIV/Aids, known as UNAids.

The 38-year-old L'Oreal spokesman and former Miss World said that the appointment is a "turning point" in her life. She says she'll be more than a poster girl for a UNAids initiative, launched in 2011. The initiative aims to prevent the spread of HIV to babies and keep infected mothers alive in 22 countries, including India.

She says as a new mother, she can relate to "the joys and concerns of every mother and the hope that we have for our children".