Vice President of Human Development, World Bank

Joy Phumaphi is Vice President of Human Development at the World Bank. She is a former World Health Organization (WHO) Assistant Director General for family and community health, and was health minister in her home country of Botswana from 1999–2003.

Joy, a Botswana national, began public service in Botswana as a local government auditor. From 1994 to 2003, she went on to serve in Parliament and as a representative to the Southern African Development Community.  She entered the Cabinet with responsibility for lands and housing and developed the first national housing policy.  Joy subsequently served as Minister for Health where she restructured the ministry to make it more focused on results while overseeing revision of the Public Health Act and putting into action a multi-sectoral plan to combat HIV/AIDS.

UN Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa

The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has placed an African Woman at the helm of his organisation's fight against HIV and AIDS. On 21st May 2007, he appointed Elizabeth Mataka, a national of Botswana and a resident of Zambia, as his Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa.

She told IRIN/PlusNews: "Some people might feel that I have 'big shoes' to fill when considering my predecessor, but I am a woman who not only comes from one of the world's hardest-hit countries, but who also has been working in the field of HIV and AIDS for the past 16 years." She officially replaced Stephen Lewis as the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for HIV and AIDS in Africa.

"Stephen Lewis has done remarkable work on all fronts in the pandemic, but there is still a long way to go, especially when it comes to addressing the impact of this disease on women and children. I am confident that my experience as both a woman and a scholar make me a suitable conduit for moving the fight again AIDS to the next level," she commented.