At UNAIDS, Winnie Byanyima balances progress in HIV prevention with persistent funding gaps and inequalities.
Winnie Byanyima, a Ugandan engineer, politician, and human rights advocate, has served as Executive Director of UNAIDS since 2019. When she assumed the role, the global fight against HIV was at a crossroads. While new infections had significantly decreased, the response was simultaneously challenged by ongoing funding shortfalls and growing disparities.
From engineering to global health
Byanyima’s background combines technical training and political activism. She studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Manchester and later earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Cranfield University. On returning to Uganda, she entered politics, serving three terms as a Member of Parliament and establishing the Forum for Women in Democracy to promote women’s political participation.
Beyond national politics, she built an international profile through her work on gender equality and poverty reduction. She became Executive Director of Oxfam International in 2013, a role she held until her appointment to UNAIDS six years later.
Leading UNAIDS
UNAIDS, the UN body coordinating the global HIV response, has a mandate beyond medical intervention, addressing stigma, discrimination, and social drivers of HIV. When Winnie Byanyima assumed leadership, the agency faced questions regarding its effectiveness and sustainability. Critics pointed to its reliance on limited donor funding, and communities most affected by HIV reported barriers to care, especially where stigma was prevalent.
Byanyima has since refocused UNAIDS, aligning its strategy with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She advocates that an effective HIV response must tackle broader issues of inequality and exclusion. Under her guidance, UNAIDS has highlighted the heightened risks faced by marginalised groups, including women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa and marginalised communities globally.
Her tenure has been marked by successful fundraising and partnership-building. A 2023 event in Amsterdam raised over €1.3 million ($1.5 million) to support women living with HIV in Mozambique and the Netherlands, demonstrating her capacity to mobilise international support.
She has led UNAIDS to champion the use of new technologies, such as long-acting injectable medicines like lenacapavir, which could enhance HIV prevention accessibility.
Fostering gender inclusion and healthcare access
Winnie Byanyima has always focused on gender equality. UNAIDS has shown that young women in sub-Saharan Africa face a much higher risk of HIV than young men, because of biological, social, and economic reasons. To fix this, Byanyima has championed programs that go beyond just health, including education, financial independence, and legal safeguards.
Through her vision and relentless advocacy, UNAIDS continues to inspire hope and drive the world closer to ending the AIDS epidemic once and for all.
