An external candidate, Bience Gawanas has been the UN Under Secretary General and Special Adviser on Africa since 2018. She is a Barrister-at-Law and an Advocate of the Namibian High Court. Bience was previously a Special Adviser to Minister of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare from 2015 to 2018 and before this was a Special Adviser to the Minister of Health and Social Services from 2013 to 2015. She has also been a Commissioner for Social Affairs for the African Union and an Ombudswoman for the Republic of Namibia. Amongst the skills required for the Board of Trustees, Bience can point to legal expertise; experience of advocacy and working with government; and leadership in SRHR. She is from Southern Africa, currently located in the USA. She also has lived in Zambia for 2 years, Angola for 2 years, the UK for 6 years, Ethiopia for 9 years, the USA for 2 years, Cuba for 2 years, as well as South Africa on and off for over 5 years.