World Tuberculosis Day Luncheon and Briefing
– As delivered –
Statement on behalf of H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, President of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, delivered by František Ružička, Chef de Cabinet of the President of the UN General Assembly, at World Tuberculosis Day Luncheon and Briefing
Thank you Dr. Menabde,
Excellencies,
Madam Deputy Secretary General,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Happy World Tuberculosis Day!
It may sound odd to celebrate TB Day. But in fact, we have cause. Today, we are united and resolute in our commitment to “End TB”. This luncheon and briefing provide the opportunity to look ahead to the High-level Meeting on Ending Tuberculosis in September.
Today’s theme is apt. Leaders must step up to the plate to reach a TB-free world. Let me highlight three key points.
The first is that more action is urgently needed to fight TB. We can no longer applaud the commitments we made. We cannot just continue to showcase the progress. Yes, there are good signs. But no, they are not enough. Now we need leaders to follow through with even more action – to end this disease, once and for all.
The pace of progress has been too slow. Tuberculosis is treatable and curable. Yet global action and investment fall far short of what is required to end the epidemic.
Around half of the cases are undiagnosed. In 2016, 1.6 million people died from the disease. Every day TB claims the lives of more than 4,500 women, children and men. We are not on track to meet the SDG target for tuberculosis by 2030. Rather it could take over 100 years by some projections.
We instead should hear more stories of survival. Stories of people like Ingrid Schoeman from South Africa and Jeffrey Acaba from The Philippines. As survivors, they fought for their own lives. And now they fight for the lives of others. They, and other advocates, are on the frontlines of the fight against tuberculosis. Today we will hear from them.
The High-level Meeting on September 26 will be crucial. It will be the first of its kind. Let us not miss this historic opportunity. And that is my second point. It is the time to galvanize global momentum to end TB. This is our chance to bring much-needed attention to the fight against TB.
It will be a moment to bring about change. The themes agreed by the General Assembly will allow focus on the crucial action we need. The concise, action-oriented Declaration that will be adopted, during the meeting, will be negotiated over the next months. It must not be more eloquent words on paper. It must move us forward in concrete terms towards our goal to end TB.
Lastly, I want to declare full commitment to ensuring a successful high-level meeting in September. We will continue to work closely with the World Health Organisation and other stakeholders to finalise the arrangements.
We will continue to offer full support to the two co-facilitators, Ambassadors Webson and Bessho, as they lead the negotiations on the Declaration, and encourage all delegations to participate actively and constructively in the process.
It is absolutely important to engage stakeholders in the fight against TB. They are active on the ground. They are part of the solution. We should embrace them in partnership to maximise our impact. An interactive civil society hearing will be convened in June. NGOs, parliamentarians, academia, medical associations, the private sector and people affected by TB will participate. We welcome their valuable contributions towards the final outcome of the High-Level Meeting.
Member States have made the decision to mandate a stakeholder inclusive process. As we embrace other players we will need to improve the mechanisms to facilitate their participation. Thank you to the WHO and the Stop TB Partnership for the support being provided to the Office in this area.
Tuberculosis is treatable and curable. Yet global action and investment fall far short of what is required to end the epidemic.
Excellencies,
In closing, let me thank the organisers for arranging this briefing. With the active engagement of champions like those represented here this afternoon, we are confident that we will be successful. That success must go beyond September.
Let us work together to make TB a disease known only in the history books. I join you in calling on world leaders to act urgently and to act boldly to end TB.
