10 June 2013 - Geneva - The Stop TB Partnership has appointed five new Coordinating Board members who will act as constituency representatives.
The appointments follow Coordinating Board reforms that are designed to broaden the base of partners represented on the Board and encourage the development of strong, active constituencies.
Two of the new board members will represent communities affected by tuberculosis (TB). The three other board members will represent the private sector, developing country nongovernmental organization (NGO) and developed country NGO constituencies.
Following a call for nominations in April, an independent committee selected the new board members based on their skills, experience and ability to lead and develop their constituencies.
The constituency representatives will begin their three-year term as Board Members at the next Coordinating Board Meeting in Ottawa, Canada, on 11-12 July.
The new board members will be joined in Ottawa by four new country representatives who are currently being recruited to sit alongside the Ministers of Health of South Africa and Swaziland on the Board.
The five new constituency representatives are:
Private Sector: Dr Evan Lee, Vice-President, Global Health Programs and Access, Eli Lilly
An internal medicine physician by training, Dr Lee oversees Eli Lilly’s global health programmes, including its multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and non-communicable diseases (NCD) initiatives, as well as efforts related to access to medicines.
Developed Country NGO: Mr Aaron Oxley, Executive Director, RESULTS UK
Aaron leads RESULTS UK’s work in developing UK and international campaigns to tackle major diseases of poverty, increase access to education and expand economic opportunities for the poorest people in the world.
Developing Country NGO: Mr Austin Obiefuna, Executive Director, Afro Global Alliance (AGA)
Mr Obiefuna has worked in TB prevention and care for more than 14 years. AGA belongs to strong national and international networks of civil society organizations and established the Ghana Stop TB Partnership.
Communities: Mrs Thokozile Beatrex Nkhoma, SAVE Campaign Coordinator, Malawi Interfaith AIDS Association
Mrs Nkhoma joined the Stop TB Partnership Working Group on New TB Diagnostics in 2010 as a community representative. She is also a member of the community support team of the communities’ delegation to the UNITAID Board and serves as a member of the communities’ delegation to the Global Fund Board with a particular focus on TB.
Communities: Mr Timur Adbullaev, Uzbekistan
A human rights lawyer by training, Mr Abdullaev is a HIV and TB activist. He has held membership and leadership positions in several local and regional networks of people living with HIV (PLHIV), as well as in decision-making structures and international organizations. These include the Global Fund Board Communities Delegation, the European AIDS Treatment Group and the TB Europe Coalition.