Elevating the TB–NCD Agenda at the UN

The 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases comes at a critical moment for TB advocates across Latin America and the Caribbean. With diabetes, smoking, and alcohol use now directly driving over 1.8 million new TB cases globally each year—and nearly 1 in 7 TB survivors living with chronic lung damage—parliamentarians are calling for a more integrated, political response.

This month, Hon. Dr. Luis Enrique Gallo Cantera, member of the Paraguayan Congress and Global Vice Chair of the Global TB Caucus, met with Permanent Missions from across the region and key global health actors. The message was clear: the growing intersection of TB and NCDs demands coordinated action, both globally and at home.

Over the course of the week, Hon. Gallo met with representatives from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Discussions focused on aligning national priorities with the forthcoming Political Declaration on NCDs—and on ensuring that TB, often missing from broader NCD dialogues, remains front and centre.

There was broad agreement: integrated care is not only possible, it’s necessary. As several countries face rising NCD burdens alongside stubborn TB rates, diplomats echoed the importance of early detection, cross-sector collaboration, and investing in health systems that work for both.

Hon. Gallo also met with Werner Obermeyer, Director of the WHO Office at the UN, to discuss opportunities to strengthen country-level action through global frameworks. Recent efforts—such as the proposed resolution on integrated lung health at the World Health Assembly—underscore growing momentum for a more unified approach.

This vision was further reinforced during a meeting hosted by the Permanent Mission of Uruguay, where diplomats from across Latin America committed to maintaining regional leadership on the TB–NCD agenda in the lead-up to UNGA.

Why It Matters Now

The Global TB Caucus continues to call attention to the urgent need for political leadership in uniting TB and NCD responses. Shared risk factors. Overlapping symptoms. Compounded inequities. The links are undeniable—but the political will to address them together must be sustained.

With High-Level Meetings on TB, UHC, and NCDs converging into one shared agenda, parliamentarians are once again proving that political action is the missing link between scientific progress and real-world impact.