IAPAC Welcomes Winnie Byanyima as New UNAIDS Executive Director
Statement by Dr. José M. Zuniga
President/Chief Executive Officer, IAPAC
August 14, 2019 – Washington, DC, USA
On behalf of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC), I welcome UN Secretary-General António Gutteres’ appointment of Winnie Byanyima to serve as the next Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). We call on her to leverage our forward momentum and work with and through UNAIDS’ many partners to expand upon local, national, and regional HIV responses for the benefit of every person living with and affected by HIV.
We are at a pivotal juncture in the global effort to stem the tide of new HIV infections and end AIDS-related deaths. The benefits of so much progress have not been shared universally, leaving significant numbers of people without access to life-saving treatment that can also prevent HIV transmission. All of us have a duty to ensure that no one is left behind in the global HIV response. We must sustain political commitment, avoid complacency, eliminate persistent HIV-related stigma, and maintain investments in data-driven and equity-based interventions. Ms. Byanyima enters her new role with a proven record of leadership on the global level and a fresh perspective that will serve UNAIDS well as we prepare to enter the fifth and hopefully final decade of the HIV epidemic.
We stand ready to strengthen our longstanding partnership with UNAIDS, including our 5-year collaboration with a growing network of more than 300 Fast-Track Cities that are working in solidarity to end their urban HIV epidemics. We also pledge to support Ms. Byanyima and the superb team of advocates and technicians that make up the global UNAIDS family, because our collective successes will save lives and ultimately lead to the end of the HIV epidemic.
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With more than 30,000 members globally, IAPAC is the largest association of clinicians and allied health professionals working to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. For more information about IAPAC and our global activities, visit: https://www.iapac.org/
