Tuberculosis (TB) and drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) continue to represent major public health threats in the WHO European Region. The Region has achieved notable progress in reducing overall TB incidence and mortality, but is confronted with challenges in reducing the burden of DR-TB and addressing the issue of TB/HIV coinfection, both of which continue to cause premature mortality.
While new options for TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment and service delivery provide opportunities to accelerate the TB response, the Region’s national health systems are still recovering from the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. More challenges are anticipated due to the humanitarian crisis in Europe.
At the 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, Member States endorsed the Tuberculosis Action Plan for the WHO European Region 2023–2030. The Action Plan defines priorities for Member States to reinforce Region-specific efforts to reduce TB incidence by 90% by 2030, and to get back on track to meet the End TB Strategy targets.
WHO/Europe is organizing the regional meeting for high-priority countries to initiate the implementation of the Action Plan, and to align national responses to its regional targets, milestones and priority actions. The meeting will be conducted in close collaboration with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Stop TB Partnership, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The objectives of the regional meeting are to:
- launch the implementation of new Action Plan;
- discuss strategic priorities, policy-level actions and next steps towards the United Nations General Assembly High-level Meeting on Tuberculosis in 2023;
- discuss and agree on priority actions related to TB and DR-TB for countries, WHO, the Stop TB Partnership, the Global Fund, USAID and other partners for the first period of implementation of the Action Plan;
- support the alignment of national strategic plans with the Action Plan; and
- equip countries with tools for preparing applications to a new cycle of funding allocation by the Global Fund for 2024–2026.