Reigning Miss Universe Paulina Vegas is planning to work with Latino Commission on AIDS to stamp out the virus in the Latino community, New York Daily News reports.

Vega was named the godmother for the Latino Commission on AIDS' 25th anniversary Cielo Latino gala in New York held on May 15.

The second Colombia native to win the Miss Universe crown has s deep connection with the commission's initiative because the Latin community is highly affected by the HIV virus.

According to the reports form the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the estimated infection rate among U.S. Latinos is more than three times as high as that of whites. Latino and black women make up 90 percent of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in New York alone.

"(The commission) has been working with the Miss Universe organization over 10 years and they really do an excellent job," Vega said. "They really take it seriously and of course I can help because I'm Latin. I'm sure we'll do great work to create awareness about this subject."

Cielo Latino is the largest annual fundraising event for the fight against HIV and AIDS in the Latino community.

Vega said, "I can really raise my voice for the people who don't have a voice, and create more awareness and prevention and education, because (the more) we know about this subject, the better things will become."

Vega was crowned Miss Universe by the former queen Gabriela Isler of Venezuela.

Meanwhile, the reigning queen has declined an invitation to speak with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia rebels to talk about peace in the crime-plagued Latin American country, Rappler reports.

"Simply talking to them and having them tell me how things are going, I don't think that is something very relevant to the peace process," Vega said. FARC and the Colombian government began peace talks in 2012 amidst decades of crime and drug wars.