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UN Multi-stakeholder Hearing on TB
A Multi-stakeholder Hearing on Tuberculosis (TB) took place on Monday, 8 May, in New York City. Convened by the President of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, the Hearing was in preparation for the UN High-Level Meeting on TB in September.
During the 8th of May Hearing, participants were encouraged to exchange views on key priorities for the September High-Level Meeting, while underscoring experiences and best practices and highlighting the challenges in the field. The outcome will be a summary prepared by the President of the General Assembly that will be circulated to all Member States and other stakeholders.
Those wishing to participate in the Hearing were encouraged to register and provide a brief statement of interest. Four members of the UNITE4TB Consortium had statements approved by the UN: our Scientific Lead, Prof. Michael Hoelscher (LMU University Hospital Munich), UNITE4TB Clinical Lead, Prof. Christoph Lange (Research Center Borstel), and two of our Community Advisory Group members, Blessina Kumar (Global Coalition of TB Advocates) and Paul Sommerfeld (TB Europe Coalition).
In his statement, Prof. Michael Hoelscher said: “In the next four years and for the first time since decades, there will be several new pan-TB regimens ready for Phase 3 evaluation. Usually, it takes at least 10 years from this stage until communities have access to those innovations in national TB programs. We now have the responsibility to shorten that period to a minimum. This will require an infrastructure that allows the conduct of Phase 3 and operationalizing trials in parallel. A joint effort of WHO, national TB programs and multinational funders is needed to provide the practical framework and the substantial funding required.”
The half-day meeting was live-streamed and divided into an opening session, two interactive panel discussions, and a closing session. The panel discussions featured a maximum of five speakers, including survivors of and people affected by TB.
The titles of the two-panel discussions were:
- Fast-tracking multisectoral and multistakeholder action to ensure universal access to equitable, high-quality, people-centered TB services
- Mobilizing adequate and sustainable financing to ramp up the TB response, and advance research and innovation.
Related to the topic of the second-panel session, Paul Sommerfeld submitted the following statement: “Civil society is an under-used resource for TB care. Its value is often stated by WHO and others but then little or nothing is done to ensure availability of finance for work by civil society organizations. A particular case is the current push to reach the many people with TB who never get to see appropriate health services. Community action would help immensely but no funds are made available.”
The May Hearing was a critical opportunity for the TB community to voice its concerns ahead of the UN High-Level Meeting in September.
Listen to the powerful speech of our CAG member, Blessina Kumar
Listen to a recording of the Hearing*
*From about 01:28:19 you can hear the statement of our Community Advisory Group member, Blessina Kumar