Gracia Violeta Ross Quiroga, Bolivian human rights activist and Unitaid Executive Board member, has been named one of 15 winners of the 2017 Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law.

Ross is founder and president of REDBOL—the Bolivian network of people living with HIV, and a leading international figure in the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.

She is a member of the Committee against Racism and All Forms of Discrimination in Bolivia; the Committee on Tuberculosis and HIV; and vice president of the National Council on HIV. She represents communities living with HIV, TB and malaria on Unitaid’s Executive Board.

The Franco-German Council of Ministers established the award in 2016 to recognize committed human rights defenders from around the world who have done outstanding work in their respective countries to uphold human rights and the rule of law.