Winnie Byanyima, born on January 13, 1959, is a prominent Ugandan aeronautical engineer, politician, and human rights activist.
She currently serves as the Executive Director of UNAIDS, a position she has held since August 2019.
Byanyima previously led Oxfam International from 2013 to 2019 and has extensive experience in gender and development roles within the United Nations.
She is married to Kizza Besigye, a notable Ugandan opposition leader.
Education
Byanyima’s educational journey began at Mount Saint Mary’s College Namagunga in Mukono District.
She then pursued higher education in the UK, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Manchester, becoming the first female Ugandan aeronautical engineer.
Byanyima later earned a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in energy conservation, from Cranfield University.
Political career
Byanyima’s political career began in the early 1990s when she became a Member of Parliament in Uganda, serving from 1994 to 2004.
During her tenure, she was an advocate for women’s rights and social justice, founding the Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) to promote women’s participation in governance.
Byanyima was also a member of the Constituent Assembly that drafted Uganda’s 1995 Constitution.
She later served as Uganda’s ambassador to France from 1989 to 1994, representing her country at UNESCO as well.
After returning to Uganda, she created an all-woman parliamentary caucus and held various leadership roles.
Outside politics
In addition to her political work, Byanyima contributed to international development through her role with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where she served as a gender advisor.
She also worked with the African Union as the Director of the Gender and Development Directorate, focusing on policies that enhance women’s rights across the continent.
From 2013 to 2019, Byanyima was the Executive Director of Oxfam International, a global movement focused on alleviating poverty and addressing social injustices.
Under her leadership, Oxfam intensified its efforts to combat inequality and advocate for economic justice, particularly emphasizing the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities.
Since 2019, she has been serving as the Executive Director of UNAIDS, where she leads global efforts to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.
In this role, Byanyima advocates for equitable access to healthcare and works on issues related to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and rights-based approaches to health care.
Personal life
Byanyima married Kizza Besigye on July 7, 1999, in Nsambya, Kampala.
Their relationship is notable not only for their personal connection but also for their shared political activism.
Besigye, a prominent Ugandan opposition figure and former chairman of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), has been a vocal critic of President Yoweri Museveni, whom he once served alongside during the Ugandan Bush War.
