WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; Assistant Director-General, Dr Jérôme Salomon; Representatives from Ministries of Health and national TB programmes; Members of the WHO Civil Society Task Force on TB; Ms Blessina Kumar and representatives of civil society organizations; Partners and colleagues,
It is a pleasure to help launch our new WHO guidance on engagement of communities and civil society to end TB.
Today, we reaffirm that to end TB, affected communities must be engaged and empowered, participating as equal partners and experts on local needs and priorities.
We reassert that to end TB, civil society must not just be listened to but heard, acting as a bridge between health systems and affected communities.
And we reiterate our conviction that to end TB, health and community systems – which intersect at the primary health care level – must work together as one, for an integrated, people-centred and holistic approach.
But more than just words, we launch a roadmap for action, building on the global End TB Strategy and successive UNHLM Political Declarations.
To all who contributed, I extend my utmost appreciation.
And I reiterate the South-East Asia Region’s steadfast commitment to accelerate this agenda, in alignment with our Flagship Priority, the Region’s Strategic Plan towards ending TB 2021–2025, and the Gandhinagar Declaration, unanimously adopted at the Region’s high-level meeting in August of this year.
We have significant progress to build on.
Since 2020, India has been implementing its path-breaking Pradhan Mantri TB Mukht Bharat Abhiyaan, with a focus on strengthening nutritional support.
Since 2022, Nepal has been implementing its P-A-Y initiative, which aims to strengthen public communication, advocacy, and youth mobilization to end TB.
Since 2016, Indonesia’s POP-TB, a community of TB survivors, has actively partnered with the national TB programme to improve people-centred TB services.
And for decades, Bangladesh has pursued a holistic approach, integrating TB care into community-based health systems strengthening.
However, to accelerate this momentum, countries and partners here – as across the world – must allocate adequate and sustainable financing, which I am delighted that this guidance will facilitate.
For this, we will continue be relentless in our advocacy and support – among Member States, and with our many partners and friends.
Because together, we will end TB only as equals – with communities that are engaged, empowered, and emboldened for success.
I once again thank all who contributed and reiterate my steadfast solidarity and support.
Thank you.