By Frank Kamuntu
Kampala: Four formidable women have been selected as finalists for this year’s Global Citizen Prize for World Leader and among these include Winnie Byanyima a Ugandan aeronautical engineer and bush war fighter currently the executive director of UNAIDS, effective November 2019.
Byanyima will compete with other finalists including: Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel; Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva; President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
READ ALSO: AIDs Day: “Let’s Not Forget HIV Over COVID”-Read UNAIDS ED Winnie Byanyima’s Full Message
This means that a female leader is sure to be the winner of the award for the third year in a row — and indeed every year since the inception of the award — an incredible indicator of the power and influence of women leaders globally.
At last year’s Global Citizen Prize ceremony, held at London’s Royal Albert Hall, the award was presented to Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; while in 2018, at Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, held at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium, the award went to Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg.
The award honors a leader in the political or advocacy space who has advocated for and implemented policy changes that have actionably improved the lives of those living in poverty.
READ ALSO: Winnie Byanyima Lands Top UNAIDS Job
According to former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, one of the esteemed individuals on this year’s World Leader judging panel: “The finalists are all women with extraordinary, substantive achievements. This will be a difficult selection to make.”
In a year that has emphasized the cracks in our global society, and has forced each and every individual to truly consider the role they have to play in their communities, this year’s Global Citizen Prize seeks to celebrate leaders who are consistently taking action to shape a world that is fair, just, and equal.
