Winnie Byanyima lands new global role as UNAIDS exit nears

Winnie Byanyima lands new global role as UNAIDS exit nears - UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima speaks during the launch of the Global AIDS Update Report. (Photo: X/UNAIDS South Africa)

In a statement announcing her appointment, Byanyima said she was joining the organisation at a difficult time for international development and cooperation between countries.

Ugandan diplomat Winnie Byanyima has been appointed the next chair of the board of trustees of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), adding another international leadership role to her career in politics, public health and development.

Byanyima, who will succeed Paul George in January 2027 when his term as chair ends, currently serves as executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and as a United Nations Under-Secretary-General. She is expected to leave UNAIDS at the end of December.

The IIED is an international research organisation that works with communities and governments to address challenges such as climate change, poverty and inequality. Its work includes helping communities protect their land rights, access climate funding and find ways to improve their living conditions as environmental pressures increase.

As chair, Byanyima will lead the organisation's board of trustees, which oversees its overall direction and holds it accountable for its work. She will work alongside executive director Tom Mitchell, who is responsible for its day-to-day operations.

In a statement announcing her appointment, Byanyima said she was joining the organisation at a difficult time for international development and cooperation between countries.

“I’m honoured to join IIED as it continues to advocate for change during a difficult time for the sustainable development sector and multilateralism itself,” she said.

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"We share the belief that lasting change comes from working in partnership with communities, policymakers and civil society organisations. I look forward to working with the IIED team in their mission to promote sustainable and equitable solutions to the world’s most pressing development challenges."

Byanyima has held senior positions at several international organisations, including Oxfam International, where she served as executive director, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). She also worked at the African Union Commission (AUC).

Before moving into international leadership, she spent 11 years in Uganda's parliament, where she established the country's first caucus of women MPs and campaigned for gender equality provisions in the 1995 Constitution.

Her other roles have included co-chairing the World Economic Forum and advising G7 and G20 presidencies on gender equality and wealth inequality.

According to IIED executive director Tom Mitchell, her experience would support the organisation's work.

“Winnie brings exceptional experience, a lifelong commitment to social justice and sustainable development and a global perspective,” he said.