Elizabeth Mataka was the United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, as appointed on 21 May 2007 by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, replacing Stephen Lewis. She served in this position till 13 July 2012. Mataka is a national of Botswana and a resident of Zambia. She served as the vice-chair of the board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Early life

Born and raised in Francistown, Botswana, Mataka moved to Lusaka in the late 1960s to study social work at the University of Zambia. After graduating in 1970, she got married.A mother of four children, Mataka helped create Children in Distress, a programme that helped communities deal with AIDS orphans.

Early career

Mataka spent two decades working in the government and the private sector before joining Family Health Trust, a small non-governmental organisation, as executive director.