Dear survivors of tuberculosis, friends from communities affected by TB, members of civil society, and our partners in ending TB.
Dear colleagues and friends,
I am pleased to welcome you to this Town Hall led by the WHO Civil Society Task Force on TB.
Tuberculosis is an ancient threat that continues to affect an estimated 10.6 million people around the world. It accounts for 1.6 million deaths every year.
In the face of these huge challenges, nearly 40% of people with TB are not receiving the health and care services they need.
TB takes a huge toll not only on the health of individuals, but on families, economies, and societies. Research shows that about half of households affected by TB face catastrophic costs.
Our joint efforts to bring TB under control have faced numerous setbacks in recent years, from the COVID-19 pandemic to conflicts across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
All of this makes meaningful engagement with affected communities and civil society more important than ever.
TB is a disease of poverty, which is fuelled by environmental and social determinants such as undernourishment, poverty, overcrowded housing, alcohol use disorders, smoking, and underlying health conditions. It is also a disease shrouded in stigma.
All of these mean that joint action between affected communities and the health system are critical to bringing this ancient killer under control.
The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, universal health coverage and primary health care agendas all recognize community empowerment as vital processes in helping to make TB a policy priority.
To support these efforts, WHO has just launched the new DG Flagship Initiative to End TB.
The WHO Civil Society Task Force on TB has been working to bring the voices of TB-affected communities and civil society to the work of WHO.
With this in mind, I am proud to announce that the new WHO guidance for community engagement to end TB is soon to be published.
I firmly believe, and the core principle underlying this new guidance, is that local communities are the ultimate experts in their own needs.
We are at a critical time.
The UN High-Level Meeting on TB is around the corner, with the interactive multi-stakeholder hearing only a few weeks away, on the 8th and 9th of May 2023.
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In anticipation of this, today our experts will brief you on the priorities and achievements of the Task Force.
Let me leave you with an important request:
We need to hear your voice, opinions, and questions about our work, about our engagement with communities and civil society, and about our joint efforts to support countries in controlling and stopping the spread of TB.
Before I end my speech, I would like to share with you that we had an open dialogue with the Task Force before starting this Town Hall, and we agreed on all of the issues that were put forward by the Task Force. There were excellent recommendations that bring our collaboration with civil society and communities to an even higher level. And we also put the participation of civil society and affected communities during the High-Level Meeting as a priority. The details of this will be shared by the Task Force.
The other meeting I had was on vaccines, and we will establish a council, and the Civil Society Task Force will be a member of that council, and we will push together in expediting the development of a new vaccine for TB. As you know we have 16 candidates, and if we can invest a fraction of what was invested in COVID, I think we can have a good number of candidates for TB as well. Working together will be very important in giving TB the attention it needs and making it visible on the global map. It has been with us for a millennia, it's a killer that we cannot live with.
I thank you.
