Anne Githuku-Shongwe serves as the Director of the Regional Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa at the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). She is based in Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa. Bringing more than three decades of experience to her position, Ms. Githuku-Shongwe has served as a senior international development professional with the United Nations, held the role of CEO in a social enterprise, worked in management consulting, and with NGOs on policy and influencing initiatives.
Prior to joining UNAIDS, Ms. Githuku-Shongwe's most recent assignment was as the Representative for UN Women's South Africa Multi-Country Office (SAMCO), which is responsible for promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, and Namibia.
Ms Githuku-Shongwe is an acclaimed social entrepreneur and the founder of AROES, a Digital & Gamification Learning enterprise operating in Kenya and South Africa. Anne and AROES earned several accolades, notably the esteemed Schwab Foundation/World Economic Forum Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 Award, as well as a National Award – the Order of the Grand Warrior presented by the President of Kenya. Additional honors include the Peace APP award from the UN, the MEFFYs Award in London, UK, and the Netexplo Award in Paris, among others.
Ms. Githuku-Shongwe has contributed as an author to various books, such as "The Write to Speak: A collection of stories by African Women Leaders" in 2021, "Kenya@50," and "Turning a Crisis into an Opportunity: The HIV Response in Lesotho, 2004." Additionally, she served as a Board Member and Grand Juror for the World Summit Awards for the UN Information Society and has previously held the position of Global Ambassador for the Vital Voices Leadership Program.
Ms. Githuku-Shongwe holds a master's degree in international development from The American University. She has also earned certificates in Social Innovation from the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business, in The Art of Large-Scale Systems Change for Social Entrepreneurship from Harvard University, and a Management Certificate from Jones International University.
