Commissioners
announced ahead of first meeting of the UNAIDS and Lancet Commission: From AIDS
to Sustainable Health to be held in Lilongwe, Malawi on 28-29 June
Geneva/Lilongwe,
19 June 2013—Ahead of the first meeting of the UNAIDS and Lancet Commission: From
AIDS to Sustainable Health, the esteemed Commissioners who will be working
together on HIV and global health in the post-2015 debate have been announced. More
than 30 Commissioners, including heads of state, policy makers, people living
with HIV, development experts, scientists, young people, AIDS advocates and
private sector leaders, will come together for the first time in Lilongwe,
Malawi on 28-29 June to explore how the AIDS response can be used to shape the
future of global health. “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, Executive Director of 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.”
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 catalyze 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. Drawing from the pioneering
experience of the global AIDS response, during the meeting in Malawi, the Commissioners
will be encouraged to engage in informal and dynamic dialogue. By exchanging perspectives,
exploring options and seeking consensus, Commissioners 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. During the meeting a
high-level roadmap for the continued work of the Commission will be developed.
A preliminary version of the Commission report will be prepared by a team of
expert writers who will work closely with the Commissioners and other key
stakeholders over the coming months. A draft of the report will be considered
in the second and final meeting of the Commission at the beginning of 2014.
