Global TB Caucus Statement of Support for the Political Declaration of the High-Level Meeting on the Fight Against Tuberculosis at the 78th Annual United Nations General Assembly
New York, Friday 22 September 2023
The Global TB Caucus welcomes the Political Declaration released today at the UN High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis (HLM) at the 78th UN General Assembly in New York.
The Caucus’s delegation, representing our parliamentary members around the world who have pledged to build the political will to end TB, has been deeply engaged at the UN General Assembly, and throughout the process leading up to the HLM.
This year’s HLM is a key moment in catalysing the necessary political will, commitment, and investments to attain the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Declaration is a step towards securing better policies and meaningful progress in our efforts to deliver the goal to end TB.
We recognise the hard work of negotiators, and pay tribute to our dedicated campaigning partners from across the political and TB communities. The outcomes secured are hard-fought, hard-won, and have the potential to reinvigorate the fight to end TB.
We reiterate that this year’s UNHLM is just the beginning. Commitments will only be worthwhile if they are delivered swiftly and in full. Implementation must include a significant increase in funding for treatment and R&D, action to overcome barriers to accessing TB services, tackling Drug-Resistant TB, addressing stigma and discrimination, and promoting multi-sectoral partnership.
We assure the global TB community—and respectfully inform the governments in all 150 countries in which the Caucus has a presence—that we will leave no stone unturned in advocating for, monitoring, and scrutinising implementation.
As parliamentarians, we recognise our unique and vital role in driving accountability through our democratic processes and institutions. Governments must keep their promises, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that they do.
We share an emphatic belief that the gaps in implementation following the 2018 HLM must not be repeated. We pledge to work with our colleagues in parliaments around the world, and across the TB movement, to ensure that this HLM signals the beginning of the end for one of the world’s most damaging and deadly diseases—for our constituents, for our countries, and for the millions of people who are affected by TB each year.
Quotes from our Parliamentarians:
Nick Herbert (Lord Herbert of South Downs), Chair of the Global TB Caucus, said:
“This Political Declaration is a welcome restatement of collective ambition to end TB, but meaningful action must now follow the words. We had a good Declaration with fine words and big promises in 2018 but momentum was quickly lost and Covid knocked efforts even further off track. The Global TB Caucus, representing 2,500 parliamentarians in every region of the world, will do everything in our power to ensure we do not lose momentum again, to hold governments to account to implement the promises they have made today, and end this devastating epidemic once and for all.”
Hon. Stephen Mule, Regional Co-Chair for Anglophone Africa, MP Kenya
“The 2018 targets were good and ambitious. If they had been implemented in full, we would be in a very different place. I welcome the 2023 Political Declaration, but we are respectfully putting our governments on notice that we will not allow those affected by this ancient plague to be failed again.”
Senator Dr. Pierre Flambeau Ngayap, Regional Co-Chair for Francophone Africa, MP Cameroon
“I support the Political Declaration agreed today. We must learn the lessons of the 2018 High Level Meeting and ensure that implementation now becomes everybody’s priority. My region has some of the highest burden countries in the world for TB. When implementation fails, communities in my region suffer, and people die. Throughout this week I have been working with my parliamentarian colleagues in Francophone Africa and the Global TB Caucus to agree how we can ensure the promises made today are kept—and we will ensure our governments know we are serious. I will continue to speak up for people who are affected by TB.”
Hon. Luis Enrique Gallo, Regional Co-Chair for the Americas, MP Uruguay
“This political declaration is important and welcome, but gaps remain. My colleagues and I will work hard in our parliaments to ensure the commitments are implemented, but action must target and reach the most vulnerable populations, where TB is most damaging and most intractable. We can only celebrate the outcome of this High Level Meeting when action reaches the most marginalised.”
Hon Jamshed Murtazozod, Regional Co-Chair for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, MP Tajikistan
“I welcome the Political Declaration, and will be working with my colleagues in the Global TB Caucus to ensure the promises made are kept. But we can only deliver for people affected with TB by working in partnership - so I will continue to bring partners from across a range of sectors together in common action. We must work together because we all have a part to play.”
Hon. Warren Entsch, Regional Co-Chair for Asia and the Pacific, MP Australia
“I’ve worked on TB for a long time and this is a good day, but this was more difficult than it should have been. Political differences which were totally unrelated to TB almost derailed the entire process. What we need now is unity and urgency - with a clear focus to make sure these commitments are delivered swiftly and in full. I will be reminding ministers of this regularly, and working with my colleagues across the Asia-Pacific Region to help them to the same.
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 3 linguistic regions - Francophone, Lussophone, and Anglophone. Parliamentarians of the Caucus work both collectively and individually to accelerate progress in the fight against TB.
For more information, please contact:
Kaye Yuvallos
Communications and Partner Engagement Manager
Global TB Caucus