President John Dramani Mahama is joining fellow Commissioners of the UNAIDS and Lancet Commission in London this Thursday, as part of renewed international efforts to defeat the scourge of HIV and AIDS and thereby advance global health.

The UNAIDS and Lancet Commission is a set-up by the international community aimed at ensuring the protection of the achievements and gains made in the fight against HIV and AIDS over the years.  It also works towards  the promotion of a "new era of social justice, health and sustainable development." 

President Mahama, who leaves Accra today, Wednesday, will use the occasion to highlight and share Ghana's successes and challenges with the AIDS response, particularly the management of HIV infection in new-borns. The President will also be making a strong case for the implementation of effective global strategies that will safeguard the successes so far chalked in ending the pandemic. 

President Mahama’s standing and expertise as a John Hopkins fellow with considerable practical experience in health and HIV Communications efforts, a former Chairman of the Ghana AIDS Commission, plus his stature as a champion of anti-AIDS activities over many years, have been acknowledged as he performs his role as a Commissioner on the UNAIDS and Lancet Commission.

This week's meeting, which will be attended by the Commissioners of the Lancet Commission, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, technical experts, health sector participants, and other stakeholders,  will also examine how the global architecture against AIDS can be modernised to achieve sustainable global health. 

The Commission is co-chaired by the Malawian President, Joyce Banda. Among the Commissioners are President thomas Boni Yayi of Benin, Former President of Botswana Festus Mogae, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark, First Lady of Japan and the First Lady of Rwanda.