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Governance

Executive Board

The Executive Board, Unitaid’s decision-making body, determines the organization’s objectives, monitors progress and approves budgets. The Board is chaired by Marisol Touraine, former French Minister of Social Affairs, Health and Women’s Rights, 2012-2017. Making decisions by consensus, the Executive Board consists of 13 members:
  • One representative nominated from each of the five founding countries (Brazil, Chile, France, Norway and the United Kingdom), Spain and the Republic of Korea;
  • One representative of African countries designated by the African Union;
  • Two representatives of relevant civil society networks (nongovernmental organizations and communities living with HIV/AIDS, malaria or tuberculosis);
  • One representative of foundations;
  • One representative of temporary shared non-voting seat (Japan);
  • One representative of the World Health Organization (non-voting).

Read the Executive Board’s Resolutions and Minutes 

Read the Executive Board’s e-Resolutions

Find out more about Unitaid’s Executive Committees

Find out more about Unitaid’s Proposal Review Committee

DOCUMENTS & DOWNLOADS

  • Unitaid constitution
  • Board Operating Procedures
  • Code of ethical conduct for Unitaid board constituencies and governance officials

    • Chair and Vice-Chair

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    Marisol Touraine

    Chair

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    Cecilia KIKU ISHITANI

    Brazil / Vice-chair

    Members

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    Margarida Rosa Da Silva Izata

    African countries / Board member

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    Pierre Somse

    African countries / Alternate

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    Draurio Barreira

    Brazil / Alternate

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    Francisco CARVAJAL

    Chile / Board member

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    Andrea Quezada

    Chile / Alternate

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    Maurine Murenga

    Communities living with the diseases / Board member

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    César Mufanequico

    Communities living with the diseases / Alternate

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    Greg Widmyer

    Foundations / Board member

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    Ingrid Etoke

    Foundations / Alternate

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    Anne-Claire Amprou

    France / Board member

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    Jérémie Forrat-Jaime

    France / Alternate

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    Keiichi HARA

    Japan / Board member

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    Japan / Alternate

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    Lynette Mabote

    NGOs / Board member

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    Sharonann Lynch

    NGOS / Alternate

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    Haitham EL-NOUSH

    Norway / Board member

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    Austen Davis

    Norway / Alternate

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    Do-yeon WON

    Republic of Korea / Board member

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    Enhi Cho

    Republic of Korea / Alternate

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    Alejandro FERNANDEZ MAZARAMBROZ

    Spain / Board member

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    Carmen Martinez

    Spain / Alternate

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    Sarah Boulton

    United Kingdom / Board member

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    Sarah Dabbaj

    United Kingdom / Alternate

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    Tereza Kasaeva

    World Health Organization / Board member

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    Issa Matta

    World Health Organization / Alternate

    Margarida Rosa Da Silva Izata

    Representing African countries

     

    Pierre SOMSE

    Alternate Board Member for African Countries

     

    Cecilia Kiku Ishitani

    Representing Brazil / Vice-chair of the Executive Board

    Born in Curitiba, Paraná, on 12 April 1971. She holds a degree in Law and has been a career diplomat since 1996, after concluding her studies at the Brazilian Diplomatic Academy. She also holds a post-graduate degree in Foreign Trade from Fundação Getúlio Vargas, Brasília-DF, and a Masters degree in Public Administration (MPA) from Columbia University, NY.  She served at the Brazilian Consulate General in New York, at the Brazilian Embassy to Colombia and at the Brazilian Embassy to the United Kingdom.

    In the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Brasilia, she has worked as an Assistant to the Director General of the Trade Promotion Department and to the Undersecretary General for Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific.  In the seven years prior to her present appointment, she was the Head of Japan and Korean Peninsula Division, acting Director of East Asia Department, Assistant and Deputy-Chief of Staff to the Secretary-General and subsequentially Director General of the Department of Japan, Korean Peninsula and the Pacific.

    Marisol Touraine

    Chair of the Executive Board

    After studying at the Ecole normale supérieure for a degree in economics and social sciences, Marisol Touraine studied at the Institut d’études politiques of Paris and at the prestigious Harvard University in the United States.

    Advisor to the Prime Minister from 1988 to 1991 on geostrategic issues, she became a member of the Conseil d’Etat in 1991. She then served at political positions at local level and within the French Parliament for several years before being appointed Minister of Social Affairs, Health and Women’s Rights (2012-2017). Of particular note in this role was her support to authorize and to assure financial coverage for innovative preventive HIV treatments, as well as her fight for the neutral cigarette pack, acknowledged by the WHO prize in 2016.

    She is Chair of the Unitaid Executive Board since June 2019.

    Draurio Barreira

    Alternate Board Member

    Francisco Carvajal

    Representing Chile

    Andrea Quezada

    Alternate Board Member

    Maurine Murenga

    Representing communities living with the diseases

    Maurine Murenga is a passionate advocate for the health, development and human rights of women and girls. With a background in Program Management and Community Development,  she is a pioneer amongst the young women and adolescent girls living with HIV movement in Kenya and a fierce advocate towards ending pediatric HIV. Maurine’s passion for advocacy is driven by her lived experience, and the inequality and vulnerability that young women and adolescent girls experience. In response to these challenges – she founded Lean on Me Foundation – an organization that supports access to health services for adolescents and children living with HIV and affected by TB. Maurine is currently the Executive Director of Lean on Me Foundation and board member of, Friends of the Fight US and EGPAF Kenya. She serves as a member of Global Fund’s Audit and Finance Committee and Country Coordinating Mechanism, Kenya. Formerly board member of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

    César Mufanequico

    Alternate Board Member

    César has openly been living with HIV since the early 2000s. He is the founding member and national director of MATRAM, the Mozambican treatment access movement, created in 2004 to advocate for access to treatment for people living with HIV in Mozambique, providing treatment education for community preparedness and demand creation. He is a passionate advocate for peer support and equitable access to treatment, locally and beyond.

    Greg Widmyer

    Foundations

    Director, Health Products, Programs, and Markets

    Global Delivery Programs, Global Development

    Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

    Greg is the Director of the new Health Products, Programs and Markets team within Global Delivery Programs (GDP).  In this role, Greg will lead teams responsible for accelerating introduction of products and system innovations that reduce maternal and childhood mortality while strengthening systems to provide strong primary care.  Prior to this role, Greg was Interim Director of Integrated Delivery where he led the team’s main efforts around Primary Health Care strengthening and on accelerating the launch, integration and scale up of products and interventions within those systems.  For the previous six years, Greg was Deputy Director of the Vaccine Delivery leading the Global Implementation team which was responsible for steering many of the day-to-day efforts with Gavi in addition to focusing on vaccine introduction, market dynamics, supply chain and financing.

    Prior to joining the foundation in 2010, Greg was vice president and general manager of Monogram Biosciences where he led the commercial and operational aspects of the company. He has held a variety of commercial positions within the biotech and e-learning industries including serving as head of marketing, finance, and business development at different companies.  Internationally, Greg worked for Population Services International (PSI) as Country Director for programs in Cameroon, Rwanda and Myanmar leading social marketing work in the areas of HIV, maternal and child health and nutrition.  Greg was also a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo. He received his BA in Russian Studies from Yale University and his MBA from Stanford University.

    Ingrid Etoke

    Alternate Board Member

    Ingrid Etoke joined the foundation in 2021 as Senior Program Officer, Health Products, Programs & Markets at the Gates foundation.

    She is responsible for the new products introduction and market dynamics of the Malaria drugs, Vector Control and vaccine pipeline.

    Before joining the foundation, Ingrid worked for the Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) as Senior Market Access Manager.

    She started her career in the pharmaceutical industry where she held several commercial roles in Europe and Africa, overseeing infectious and non communicable disease portofolio. Originally from Cameroon, Ingrid holds Masters degrees in Biochemistry and International Marketing from University of Science and Technology of Lille (France).

    Anne-Claire Amprou

    Representing France

    Anne-Claire AMPROU is the French Ambassador for Global Health and, since April 2022, the French negotiator of the international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

    After starting her career as a hospital director, she joined the Inspectorate-General of Social Affairs. She was a member of the Ebola task force and then Deputy Director General for Health at the French Ministry of Solidarity and Health. Before coordinating the French response to the Covid-19 crisis in 2021, she was Chief General Manager of Universcience, a cultural and scientific institute.

    Jérémie Forrat-Jaime

    Alternate Board Member

    Jérémie Forrat-Jaime is Deputy Director of Human Development in the Sustainable Development Directorate of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs since September 1, 2022. This sub-directorate is in charge of issues related to global health, food security, education and gender equality.

    Prior to this position, Jérémie Forrat-Jaime served as Deputy Director for Higher Education and Research (2020-2022) in the Department of Culture, Higher Education and the Network. He previously served as Political Counselor at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. (2018-2020) and as First Secretary of the French Embassy in Kuala Lumpur (2015-2018). Upon entering the diplomatic corps (Cadre d’Orient), he was a member of the Afghanistan-Pakistan unit within the Ministry’s Asia and Oceania Directorate.

    Jérémie Forrat-Jaime is a graduate of the Institut d’études politiques de Paris and of the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INALCO).

    Keiichi Hara

    Representing Japan

    Mr Keiichi HARA is Deputy Director-General for Global Issues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. As a career diplomat, Mr Hara has occupied several key positions at the headquarters, including Executive Assistant to the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Director of Financial Affairs, Director of the Assistance for Afghanistan, Director of the Country Assistance Planning Division. He has also served at Embassies in Senegal, France, Afghanistan and China.

    Alternate Board Member

    Lynette Mabote

    Representing nongovernmental organizations

     

     

    Sharonann Lynch

    Alternate Board Member

    Haitham El Noush

    Representing Norway

    Haitham El-Noush, Senior Advisor, Innovation in Health and Development, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation

    Mr. Haitham El-noush has been, during the past nine years, managing the innovation portfolio within global health for the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad); promoting and scaling-up innovative tools and approaches for health and development; through pursing tasks related to policy, partnerships, and operations. He was also the project manager for the UN Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) Innovation Working Group (IWG); through which he led the creation of thriving partnerships that inspired to consensus building, out-of-the-box thinking, and mobilization of financial and non-financial resources.

    El-noush has a long international cooperation career with work experience from nine countries representing three continents; working for both governments, INGOs and the UN. Throughout his career, he has been providing thought-leadership, building and pursuing new initiatives as well as novel work streams and approaches constructed around innovation and digital tools. He has an extensive leadership experience from managing large and complex operations and portfolios.

    El-noush has a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture science with agriculture economics as major from University of Khartoum in Sudan, a Master of Science degree in development economics and international development with microfinance as thesis topic from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, and a Diploma in pedagogy from Nord (Northern Norway) University. Moreover, he earned a Diploma in impact investing from Saïd Business School at Oxford University; and has recently obtained a course certificate on global health from University of Copenhagen.

    Austen Davis

    Alternate Board Member

    Do-yeon WON

    Representing the Republic of Korea

    Doyeon Won is the Director-General for Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. He has served as Counsellor at the Korean Permanent Mission to UN in New York and Chief of the UNFPA Seoul Office.

     

    Enhi Cho

    Alternate Board Member

     

    Alejandro Fernandez Mazarambroz

    Representing Spain

     

    Carmen Martinez

    Alternate Board Member

    Sarah Boulton

    Representing the United Kingdom

    Sarah Boulton is responsible for UK investments in Unitaid and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. In a previous role, she led the UK Multilateral Aid Review.

    Sarah Dabbaj

    Alternate Board Member

    Tereza Kasaeva

    Representing the World Health Organization

    Dr Tereza Kasaeva serves as Assistant Director-General ad interim of the Universal Health Coverage/Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases Division, and also as Director of the Global Tuberculosis Programme. As Assistant Director-General ad interim, she oversees a complex portfolio of technical programmes covering HIV and AIDS, viral hepatitis, sexually-transmitted infections, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, mental health, substance use, and noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and cancer. As Director, Global Tuberculosis Programme since 2017, Dr Kasaeva is also responsible for WHO’s work on setting norms, policies and standards on global tuberculosis prevention, control, and care, following principles of equality and human rights, and addressing system challenges such as community and private sector engagement.

    Prior to her current appointments at WHO, Dr Kasaeva worked for over 25 years in leadership roles in public health, including as Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Care of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

    Dr Kasaeva is a medical doctor and holds a PhD in Public Health.

    Issa Matta

    Alternate Board Member

    Issa Matta is Senior Legal Officer who joined WHO in 2003. His principal responsibilities include legal and governance support to WHO partnerships and alliances, the WHO Foundation, the WHO Academy and on legal matters relating to engagement with non-state actors, as well as commercial and contractual issues.

    In 2008, Issa spent a year as a senior lawyer at the Global Fund.  He also acquired significant private sector legal experience during his time as corporate counsel with the pharmaceutical company Merck-Serono as well as in-house attorney with the global consulting firm Andersen.  Issa began his career as a legal consultant in the Abu Dhabi Office of a leading New York based international law firm.

    Issa has a J.D. from the University of Virginia and is admitted as an attorney before the New York bar. Prior to his legal studies, Issa specialized in international relations with a focus on the Middle East.

    Issa is from Lebanon and also lived in Jordan, Kenya, Iraq, UAE, and the USA.

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