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UN, Lancet journal to hold meeting on AIDS response and global health

Photo: FAO
FAO
Photo: FAO

UN, Lancet journal to hold meeting on AIDS response and global health

Heads of State, policymakers, scientists, advocates and private sector leaders will come together for the first time this month to explore how the AIDS response can be used to shape the future of global health in a United Nations-led meeting in Lilongwe, Malawi.

Organized in conjunction with the Lancet medical journal, the UNAIDS and Lancet Commission: from AIDS to Sustainable Health, will give over 30 commissioners the opportunity to work together to address HIV and global health in the context of the post-2015 development agenda.

“This is the first time that such a diverse group of experts has been brought together for frank discussions about the future of global health,” said Michel Sidibé, the Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

“We will be encouraging them to think about what will it take to reach the end of AIDS; how the AIDS response can serve as a transformative force in our approach to global health; and how to modernize the global AIDS architecture for a more equitable, effective and sustainable future for global health.”

During the meeting, which will be held on 28-29 June, the commissioners will be encouraged to engage in informal dialogue, and will begin extracting the lessons learnt from the AIDS response to be used in the transformation of global health and development in the post-2015 debate.

A high-level roadmap for the continued work of the Commission will be developed, as well as a preliminary version of the Commission report. A draft of the report will be considered in the second and final meeting of the Commission at the beginning of 2014, UNAIDS said in a press release.

The Commission is co-chaired by Malawi President Joyce Banda, African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Director, Peter Piot. Its aim is to catalyse expertise and political momentum to shape the debate on the future of health in the post-2015 development agenda and accelerate progress towards the end of AIDS.