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AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference

Winnie Byanyima

Winnie Byanyima

Winnie Byanyima

Executive Director
United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Switzerland

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Winnie Byanyima is the Executive Director of UNAIDS and an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. She leads the United Nations’ efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Winnie believes that healthcare is a human right and she is the Co-Chair of the People’s Medicines Alliance, advocating for fair access for all to medicines, tests and treatments. Before joining UNAIDS, Winnie served as the Executive Director of Oxfam International. Previously, she was elected for three terms in the parliament of her country, Uganda. A global leader on gender equality, she served on Prime Minister Trudeau’s Gender Advisory Council during Canada’s G7 Presidency and founded the Forum for Women in Democracy, a Ugandan non-governmental organization. She holds a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from Cranfield University and an undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Manchester. Winnie is the recipient of four honorary doctorates. 

The IAS promotes the use of non-stigmatizing, people-first language. The translations are all automated in the interest of making our content as widely accessible as possible. Regretfully, they may not always adhere to the people-first language of the original version.