Vinay Saldanha, Director, UNAIDS UN-US Liaison Office, New York

Vinay Saldanha is the Director of the UNAIDS UN-US Liaison Office in New York. In this strategic role, he leads UNAIDS engagement with member states in New York, including UNAIDS work with the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Secretariat, UNAIDS Cosponsors and key partners. 

Mr Saldanha is also responsible for supporting UNAIDS engagement with U.S. government, U.S. Congress and U.S. technical and civil society partners. 

Mr Saldanha is leading UNAIDS preparations for the 2026 UNGA High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS. 

Since joining UNAIDS in 2004, Mr Saldanha has served in a series of senior international roles. Prior to his current appointment in New York, he was the Director of the UNAIDS U.S. Liaison Office in Washington, D.C., where he spearheaded collaborative efforts with U.S. Government and U.S. partners. His extensive field experience includes serving as the UNAIDS Director of the Regional Support Team for Eastern Europe and Central Asia in Moscow. At UNAIDS Headquarters in Geneva, Mr Saldanha served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Special Adviser, providing strategic counsel to two Executive Directors and operational leadership to the UNAIDS Senior Leadership Team. His technical background includes serving as a Monitoring and Evaluation Adviser in Ukraine. 

Mr Saldanha has been a driving force behind major global HIV policy milestones. He successfully led the development and adoption of the previous Global AIDS Strategy and supported the negotiations for the 2021 UNGA Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS in New York. Additionally, he facilitated the UNAIDS Advisory Group, supporting UNAIDS strategic transition to new leadership. 

He holds an honours degree in Political Science and English Literature from the University of Toronto. Mr Saldanha is fluent in English and Russian, and is married with two daughters.