Damien Rwegera
Anthropologist, former UNAIDS coordinator in Guinea, former member of UNESCO's International Bioethics Committee (IBC) and Vice-President for Africa, former UNAIDS regional advisor for West and Central Africa, former director of the Pan-African Organization for the Fight against AIDS (OPALS), former professor of anthropology and sociology at the National University of Rwanda. His work has focused on traditional practitioners in Rwanda, the integration of immigrants into the socio-economic environment and health services in the Paris region, the socio-economic impact of AIDS and its socio-cultural dimensions in sub-Saharan Africa, sexual behavior, marriage and family planning, unwanted pregnancies among young Rwandan girls, taboos and eating habits. He is co-author of 5 books and 3 articles, and author of 17 papers and posters at international conferences. Within the UNAIDS Inter-country Team based in Abidjan and covering 25 countries in West and Central Africa, he has been responsible for planning the fight against HIV/AIDS in 20 countries, developing strategies and tools for the fight against HIV/AIDS in countries in conflict and post-conflict situations, and organizing sub-regional initiatives to combat HIV/AIDS: Lake Chad Basin Initiative (5 countries), Congo River Initiative (4 countries), Mano River Union Initiative (3 countries) and Great Lake Initiative (6 countries). The projects developed by these initiatives have been financed by either the World Bank or the African Development Bank. As UNAIDS coordinator in Guinea, he was responsible for coordinating the United Nations system's national response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in 5 areas: leadership and advocacy, strategic information, partnership and civil society, resource mobilization, and monitoring and evaluation. He has also worked as an international consultant for various United Nations agencies, the European Union, bilateral cooperation agencies and NGOs. He works extensively as a volunteer in civil society organizations. He is currently Director of the Unité de Réflexion et d'Action des Communautés Africaines (URACA), an association for prevention and comprehensive social and health care (HIV/AIDS and chronic illnesses) associated with the defense of African cultures.
