UNICEF has a permanent seat on GAVI’s Board
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which has a permanent seat on GAVI’s Board, is a member of GAVI’s Executive Committee, Governance Committee and the Programmes & Policy Committee, and chairs the GAVI Task Force on Advocacy. UNICEF is represented on the GAVI Alliance Board by:
Geeta Rao Rupta
Deputy Executive Director (Representative)
Geeta Rao Gupta is the the Vice Chair of the GAVI Alliance Board and she is UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director..
Prior to joining UNICEF, she was a Senior Fellow at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where she advised the president and leadership of the Global Development Program on their strategies and offered insight on managing projects to achieve the greatest impact. Prior to joining the foundation, Dr. Rao Gupta was president of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), a position she assumed in 1997 after serving in a variety of roles including consultant, researcher and officer.
She is the recipient of numerous awards, including Harvard University’s 2006 Anne Roe Award and the 2007 Washington Business Journal’s 'Women Who Mean Business' Award. Dr. Rao Gupta has her bachelor’s, master’s, and master of philosophy degrees in psychology from the University of Delhi, and a doctorate in philosophy from Bangalore University in India.
Nicholas Alipui
Director, Programme Division (Alternate)
Dr. Nicholas Alipui is Alternate Board Member for UNICEF. He was appointed Director of UNICEF Programmes in 2008 and is the Vice Chair of the GAIN Partnership Council and Ex—Officio Member of the GAIN Board of Directors. As Director of UNICEF programmes, he oversees UNICEF’s programs and is at the forefront of program and policy development and for providing guidance and management to staff in support of implementation of UNICEF programs aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Dr. Alipui served as UNICEF Country Representative in the Philippines from 2003-2008 and as Country Representative in Kenya from 2000-2003. In both assignments, he was responsible for all country activities which included the planning, co-ordination and implementation of programs to improve the lives of women and children through advocacy and resource mobilization. Prior to joining UNICEF, Dr. Alipui served in Mozambique as Medical Doctor and Primary Health Care Advisor. Dr. Alipui obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Science and his Doctor of Medicine degree in Obstetrics and Gynecology, both from University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
