Focused on the UNHLM actions, this year’s first Platform of Experts’ saw fruitful discussions on tasks and commitments to be undertaken by actors within TB advocacy.
January 31, 2024 — Following 2023’s momentous UN High Level Meeting on Tuberculosis, The Global TB Caucus has started the year with a large-scale exchange of perspectives, best practices, and statistics to help Members of Parliament and Civil Society Organisations orient themselves following the 2023 UNHLM.
Since June 2021, the Platform of Experts has built upon its goal of mobilising Civil Society experts to foster a sustainable and informed response to TB, and this year’s first meeting was focused on exchanging expertise regarding implementation of the UNHLM Declaration; looking at necessary work in the post-UNHLM phase, and what tasks and commitments are to be undertaken.
The PoE is an example of The Caucus’s efforts to strengthen the link between parliamentarians and civil society—efforts in 2024 are set to make this the most significant year of parliamentary action in the history of the fight against TB.
Jamshed Murtazozod (EECA Regional Co-Chair, Global TB Caucus) shared his perspectives after participating in the UNHLM, and thanked all active CSOs for their participation and support. A common thread throughout the PoE was the importance of united, collaborative work, which Hon. Murtazozod closed with: “Only together will we be able to move towards the common goal of global tuberculosis eradication.”
Hon. Warren Entsch (Asia-Pacific Regional Co-Chair, Global TB Caucus) presented a grounded perspective: “At the first UNHLM (2018), clear and ambitious targets were agreed to. At the second UNHLM (2023), not even half of these targets were met.” He stressed the importance of seeing a global push towards urgency, political will, increased financing, and science.
“We are at the most critical stage to end TB, yet most countries are still not fully equipped with the needed human, financial, and intellectual resources to tackle the TB epidemic,” opened Senator Dr. Pierre Flambeau Ngayap (Francophone Regional Co-Chair, Global TB Caucus). In the wake of the UNHLM, fulfilment of all commitments made depends largely on those in the TB sphere—it is helpful to recall that meeting targets depends on individual efforts, national efforts, and the collective effort of the whole TB sphere.
Hon. Dr. Christopher Kalila (Anglophone Regional Co-Chair, Global TB Caucus) exemplified the post-UNHLM viewpoint: “With the UNHLM on TB behind us, it is now time for us to come together and translate the commitments made into concrete actions that will have a lasting impact on the health of our nations. Civil society organisations and parliamentarians play a critical role in advocating for policy change, mobilising resources, and driving meaningful action on the ground. Your presence here today demonstrates your unwavering dedication to the cause of better health for all.”
The next steps in implementing the UNHLM Declaration were presented with the assistance of the World Health Organisation; opening with Monica Dias (Global TB Program, Multisectoral Engagement and Accountability, World Health Organisation) who shared a deeply informative presentation in line with this concern, including the main targets for the WHOs 5 year accelerated push to culminate in 2027:
90% TB treatment coverage
100% coverage of rapid diagnostic testing
100% coverage of health and social benefits
Closing finance gaps for essential TB services and research
Licensing at least one new TB vaccine within five years
Dr. Suvanand Sahu (Stop TB Partnership) discussed Country Targets and shared STBP’s efforts to support countries in achieving the UNHLM targets and commitments, including an abridged version of the UNHLM Political Declaration and a breakdown of the Country Shares of global UNHLM Targets. He emphasised that, “every country is important, and together we need to achieve the global targets.” He also noted that 2022 saw an all-time high for TB diagnosis and treatment following a full recovery from the impact of COVID-19 and that2023 was an even better year; either meeting the UNHLM target for 2023 or coming very close to it. Despite this, things remain off-track globally, and this underscores the importance of holding to this momentum to truly make a change.
Additional presentations on steps, particularly for focal points in different regions, for implementation were given by Oxana Rucsineanu (Moldova National TB Association “SMIT”), Rodrick Mugishagwe (TB Program Knowledge Management and Learning Manager at Eastern Africa National Network of AIDS and Health Service Organization [EANNASO]), Bertrand Kampoer (Coordinator, Dynamique Réponse d’Afrique Francophone [DRAF-TB]), Kinz ul Eman (CEO, DOPASI Foundation), and Julia Raavad (Director of analysis and advocacy, MSF Denmark). Each of these reports presented a full look at the FPs national contexts; altogether providing a holistic perspective on the state of TB as we begin the year.
About the Global TB Caucus
The Global TB Caucus is the world's largest independent parliamentary network with over 2,500 members from over 150 countries. The network covers 4 geographic regions: Europe and Central Asia, Africa, America, Asia-Pacific and 2 language regions - Francophone and Portuguese. Parliamentarians of the Caucus work both collectively and individually to accelerate progress in the fight against TB.
For more information, please contact:
Alesia Matuseyvych
Global TB Caucus