What an extraordinary year 2020 has been around the world. Amidst the unprecedented challenges and tragedies of this year’s COVID-19 pandemic, tuberculosis (TB) continues to kill 1.5 million people every year. In a year with so many losses, the Caucus pays tribute to all those affected by both TB and COVID-19, and to MPs, partners, friends and all who have lost their lives, or lost family members.
Two years on from the United Nations High Level Meeting on TB, it is distressing to know that even without the disruption of COVID-19 we still would not be on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal to End TB by 2030. As we continue to work together to ensure that governments do not forget TB and the communities affected by it, we must work even harder at national, regional and global levels.
Political leadership is essential in eliminating TB. All members of the Global TB Caucus demonstrated this leadership by emphasizing that only together can we effectively prevent and treat not only COVID-19 and TB, but all future global epidemics. From national parliamentary sessions, budget increases, new legislations, social protection measures and the launch of a new regional Caucus, we are extremely proud of our members' energy and passion in the fight to end TB, even in this difficult time when it would be easy to feel discouraged and lose motivation.
As 2021 approaches, the Global TB Caucus is honored to continue to support the work of Members of Parliament, TB survivors, civil society, and partners, in our common work to defeat the disease and looks back to all the formidable initiatives and actions developed and conducted in 2020.
Members of the European Parliament hold a briefing to address the need for robust investments in TB
The European Commission, and EU member states are leaders in global health research and innovation, and it is important that this is recognised whilst also acknowledging that more must be done. With this in mind, on January 29th 2020, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) hosted a briefing on TB. Read more
The Global TB Caucus organizes special TB session in PARLATINO’s Health Committee
This year, TB was approved as a permanent agenda item in the Parlatino’s Health Committee and the Global TB Caucus was invited to present the network and the work being carried out for the past five years in the Americas region. Hon Claudio Marte, was invited to represent the Caucus. Read more
Zimbabwe’s First Lady appoints TB Champions amidst the Covid-19 epidemic
With the Covid-19 epidemic ravaging most countries worldwide and all efforts seemingly directed towards containing the virus, Zimbabwe has made a bold statement that other important diseases such as Tuberculosis (TB) should never be left behind. Read more
Pakistan launches a National TB Caucus
Pakistan’s first Parliamentary Caucus for Tuberculosis was launched on Tuesday the 9th June 2020 during a historic meeting held in Islamabad with in-person and virtual participation from around the world. The meeting brought together Members of both the Pakistani Senate and National Assembly. Read more
President Joko Widodo mandates an innovative approach to fighting COVID-19 and TB in Indonesia
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) of Indonesia recently convened a High-Level Meeting in Jakarta on the 21st of July to accelerate the elimination of tuberculosis by utilising the country’s COVID-19 tracking protocols. “We now already have a model for COVID-19, which is aggressive tracking. We will adapt this tracking model for TB,” said President Jokowi. Read more
The Francophone TB Caucus strengthens TB response with DRAF TB
On the 25th of September 2020, one day before the 2nd anniversary of the 2018 United Nations High Level Meeting on TB (UNHLM), the Francophone TB Caucus announced an official partnership with Dynamique de la réponse d'Afrique Francophone sur la Tuberculose (DRAF TB). Read more
Zambia surpasses UNHLM targets in TB prevention
Chaired by Hon Christopher Kalila MP, major announcements by Minister of Health of Zambia Dr Chitalu Chilufya at the meeting included the increase of TB prevention therapy coverage from 18% to 49% - surpassing United Nations High Level Meeting targets - and 76% treatment success rate for MDR-TB - much higher than both global and Africa targets.
Tajikistan adopts a national resolution on TB
The Tajikistan national TB Caucus adopted a resolution on COVID-19 and its impact on TB. Based on the regional EECA resolution on COVID-19, the resolution emphasizes on the importance of reaching across political and geographical divides to build commitment to secure a coordinated response to TB and COVID. Read more
Over 50 representatives from lusophone countries launch a political network to fight TB
Taking an innovative approach by uniting a unique linguistic community in the TB response, more than 30 Members of Parliament (MPs) and political authorities from Angola, Brasil, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal and Sao Tome e Principe, numerous civil society representatives and other global TB stakeholders convened to launch the Lusophone TB Caucus. Read more
The Government of Malawi commits to new fundings for TB
The Malawi Parliament passed Bill No.16 of 2020 which is expected to borrow over K2 billion to improve coverage and quality of TB control and occupational lung disease services. The bill further seeks to strengthen national and cross-border response to disease outbreaks. Read more
Panama becomes the third country in the Americas to adopt a specialized TB law
Official data from Panama indicate that tuberculosis (TB) is responsible for taking about 200 lives a year in the country. To address the problem and promote country's population health, the National Assembly of Panama passed Law 169 of 2020, which establishes the legal framework for the control and prevention of tuberculosis in the country. Read more
Asia Pacific countries mobilise to integrate TB and COVID-19 responses
On the 3rd of December 2020, the Global TB Caucus held the first Asia Pacific Virtual TB Summit. The Summit brought together 14 Members of Parliament from 10 countries in the region to share best practices in addressing TB and COVID-19 in tandem, and to explore potential for regional collaboration. Read more