GENEVA, 14 December 2012—The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has appointed Dr Luiz Loures as the new Deputy Executive Director of Programme at the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations.
“Luiz is a pioneer in the AIDS response––from his grassroots work treating patients in Brazil in the early days of the epidemic––to his subsequent global policy work on AIDS,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. “I am confident that his dynamic leadership and forward thinking approach will help take the AIDS response to new levels.”
Dr Loures joined UNAIDS in 1996, holding posts which included Director of the Executive Office and most recently Director of the Political and Public Affairs Branch. He also served as Associate Director of the Europe and Americas Division.
Before joining UNAIDS, Dr Loures was a Special Advisor on AIDS to the Ministry of Health in Brazil and participated actively in the creation and consolidation of the country’s National AIDS Programme, widely recognized today as one of the most effective in curbing the epidemic. He was also directly responsible for designing the programme for universal access to antiretroviral drugs for people living with HIV in Brazil. A medical doctor, Dr Loures brings more than 28 years of experience in the AIDS response.
Dr Loures will assume his new role on 1 January 2013. Current Deputy Executive Director of Programme Paul De Lay will retire at the end of this year.
