The Global TB Programme welcomes the decision by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to appoint Dr Eric P Goosby as the new UN Special Envoy on Tuberculosis (TB). Special Envoy Goosby brings a wealth of experience to the fight against this pressing infectious disease crisis which still claims millions of lives each year. “We are extremely pleased with the appointment of Special Envoy Goosby”, said Dr Mario Raviglione, Director of the WHO Global TB Programme. “Eric has been with us fighting against TB for many years and has mobilized much-needed resources to strengthen its care and control. Our WHO efforts to end TB will receive a much higher profile with Eric’s engagement”.
Dr Haileyesus Getahun, Coordinator for TB/HIV and Community Engagement at the WHO Global TB Programme added - “Eric has also been a strong proponent of efforts to address the dangerous co-epidemic of TB and HIV. Eric’s contribution to TB/HIV has been monumental in his career and we are very excited that his experience can benefit the broader TB agenda”.
The WHO Global TB Programme will support Special Envoy Goosby as he works towards raising the profile of the fight against TB and in efforts to attain the ambitious new targets to end the global TB epidemic and reach the TB-related sustainable development goals*.
* The “End TB Strategy” aims to end the global epidemic, with targets to reduce TB deaths by 95% and to cut new cases by 90% between 2015 and 2035, and to ensure that no family is burdened with catastrophic expenses due to TB. The strategy also includes targets that will be proposed for the future 2030 “sustainable development goals” and sets interim milestones for 2020 and 2025.