KAMPALA, Uganda – Ugandan diplomat and international development leader Winnie Byanyima has secured another high profile international appointment, this time as chairperson of the board of trustees of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), a United Kingdom based research and policy organisation.
The appointment, announced on November 3, 2026, will see Byanyima take over from outgoing chairperson Paul George in January 2027, shortly after completing her tenure as executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
The new position marks another significant step in Byanyima’s international career, which has taken her through Uganda’s Parliament, the African Union Commission, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Oxfam International and the United Nations.
Byanyima currently serves as a United Nations Under Secretary General and executive director of UNAIDS, a position she assumed in November 2019 after being appointed by then UN Secretary General António Guterres.
Her departure from UNAIDS is scheduled for December 31, 2026. She announced her intention to leave at a special session of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board on October 26, saying she would remain committed to leading the organisation until the end of her mandate.
IIED said Byanyima was selected because of her extensive experience in social justice, sustainable development, global governance and addressing inequality. Her appointment comes at a time when climate change, biodiversity loss and growing economic inequalities continue to dominate international development discussions.
In accepting the appointment, Byanyima said she was honoured to join the institute as it continued advocating for change amid difficult conditions facing the sustainable development sector and multilateral cooperation.
She said lasting change required partnerships between communities, policymakers and civil society organisations, adding that she looked forward to working with the IIED team to advance sustainable and equitable solutions to global development challenges.
IIED Executive Director Tom Mitchell welcomed her appointment, describing her as a leader with exceptional experience, a strong commitment to social justice and a global perspective. He said her leadership and ability to build partnerships would be valuable as the organisation works towards fairer and more sustainable futures.
The IIED is an independent research and policy organisation that works with communities, governments and development partners to address some of the world’s major environmental and development challenges. Its work includes climate change, nature conservation, environmental protection, poverty reduction and social inequality.
The institute has operated for more than 50 years, supporting locally led development initiatives and influencing policies aimed at creating more sustainable societies. Its board of trustees provides overall governance and oversight of the organisation.
Byanyima brings considerable experience to the role. She served for 11 years in Uganda’s Parliament, where she founded the country’s first parliamentary caucus for women MPs and championed the inclusion of gender equality provisions in Uganda’s 1995 Constitution.
She later joined the African Union Commission, where she helped establish its Directorate of Gender and Development. She also served as director of Gender and Development at UNDP, contributing to international efforts to advance women’s rights and gender equality.
Between 2013 and 2019, she led Oxfam International, one of the world’s major organisations working to tackle poverty and inequality. During her tenure, she became a prominent voice in international debates on economic justice, wealth inequality and the rights of marginalised communities.
Her professional background also includes engineering. Byanyima holds an undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Manchester and an advanced degree in mechanical engineering, specialising in energy conservation and the environment, from Cranfield Institute of Technology in the United Kingdom.
She has also co-chaired the World Economic Forum and advised G7 and G20 presidencies on gender equality and wealth inequality, respectively.
Her appointment to IIED extends a career that has consistently placed her at the centre of international discussions on human rights, equality and sustainable development. As she prepares to leave UNAIDS at the end of the year, the new assignment will give her another influential platform to shape global policy, this time with a stronger focus on the relationship between environmental sustainability, poverty and social justice.
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