Nikolas Vako
Sub-Saharan Africa (UNICO)
Nicolas Vako is the President of the Union Against HIV/Hepatitis/Tuberculosis Co-Infection (UNICO) in Côte d’Ivoire, and is also Executive Director of the Ivorian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (RIP+). He has previously worked as a delegate for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for twenty years, traveling throughout Africa and Eastern Europe. He now represents members of the LGBT community, people who use drugs and sex workers when it comes to the Ivorian media, who continue to not cover these issues sufficiently. He has also actively contributed to the establishment and promotion of a platform for dialogue and partnership with government and development partners, including UN agencies, to promote harm reduction and empowerment.