Global Fund Selects its Next Board Chair and Vice-Chair
22 March 2013
GENEVA - The Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has selected Nafsiah Mboi of Indonesia to be its next Board Chair and Mireille Guigaz of France as its next Board Vice-Chair. Both will begin a two-year term starting in late June, 2013.
Dr Nafsiah Mboi is the Minister of Health for the Republic of Indonesia. She has more than 40 years of experience in national and global public health, including a full career as a civil servant in the Ministry of Health. She served six years as Secretary of Indonesia's National AIDS Commission, where she oversaw planning, coordination and implementation of the national response to HIV and AIDS, and expanded the involvement of both government and civil society organizations including work with faith-based communities and private sector initiatives.
Originally trained as a pediatrician, Dr Nafsiah subsequently earned an MPH degree. She served as a member of Indonesia's Parliament from 1992 to 1997. Internationally, she has served as Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child and also as Director of the Department of Gender and Women's Health at the World Health Organization in Geneva.
"Nafsiah Mboi is an inspiring and highly effective leader," said Simon Bland, Chair of the Global Fund Board. "She is committed to building upon the reforms of the past two years, and she and Mireille Guigaz will make an outstanding team that can lead the Global Fund to a new level of achievement."
Mr Bland and Dr Mphu Ramatlapeng will serve as Board Chair and Vice-Chair through the next Board meeting on 18-19 June 2013. At the conclusion of that meeting, responsibility will be transferred to incoming Chair and Vice-Chair.
Madame Guigaz most recently served as France's Ambassador for the fight against HIV/AIDS and communicable diseases, representing France on the Board of the Global Fund, a position she also held in the early days of the Global Fund. She has served on the Board's Strategy, Investment and Impact Committee and its Audit and Ethics Committee, as well as on the Boards of UNITAID and Roll Back Malaria.
In a career devoted to issues of global health, development and human rights, Mme Guigaz has served in numerous positions, including as France's Permanent Representative to the Food and Agriculture Organization. She earned a PhD in medical law and health care economics at the University of Lyon. She also earned a Master of law and political sciences from the Institute of Political Studies of Lyon and a Master's degree in mediation from the Kurt Bösch Institute.
A planned handover period during May and June will allow for a smooth transition of leadership, at a time when the Global Fund is preparing to raise funds at a once-every-three-years pledging conference in late 2013, intended to accelerate the fight against HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
Partnership is a founding principle of the Global Fund, and one the Board's practices to embrace partnership between donor and implementer countries has been to alternate between a Board Chair from a donor nation, and from an implementer country. The same applies to the role of Board Vice-Chair.
Dr Nafsiah and Mme Guigaz will serve in a personal capacity. In their new roles, they will represent the interests of the entire Global Fund, instead of representing their home country.
Dr Nafsiah and Mme Guigaz were selected by unanimous electronic vote by the Board on 18 March 2013.