Join us on 17 October 2024, 12:00H – 14:00H CEST
To commemorate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17th October, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) will jointly launch the new guidance on social protection for people affected by tuberculosis (TB). The guidance marks a critical step in supporting countries to advance towards End TB Strategy targets, in alignment with the 2023 political declaration of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on TB.
TB disproportionally affects economically and socially disadvantaged individuals and communities. People with TB often face severe financial hardships due to income loss and costs of seeking treatment. Social protection is a human right and a well acknowledged poverty-alleviation strategy and a clear area of investment to strengthen TB prevention and care. Evidence shows a corelation between higher investments in social protection and lower TB incidence and mortality. Similarly, expanding social protection coverage among people affected by TB contributes to improving treatment success and to eliminating catastrophic costs at the household level. The critical role of social protection in TB response was emphasized at the 2023 UN high-level meeting on TB, during which Member States committed to ensuring that all people with TB have access to a comprehensive package of health and social benefits by 2027.
The new WHO-ILO Guidance on social protection for people affected by TB, provides national programme managers and staff in ministries responsible for health and social protection, as well as other stakeholders, with the scientific and operational knowledge needed for multisectoral action. This guidance aims to scale-up social protection for people affected by TB, and ultimately contribute to ending TB.
To strengthen capacity on social protection for people affected by TB, WHO has also launched a free, self-paced online course, entitled “Social Protection for people affected with TB: An Introduction.” The course introduces the concept of social protection, its role in ending the TB epidemic, various forms of social protection, and the evidence of its impact on TB.
A launch webinar will be held on 17th October at 12:00 CEST, featuring perspectives from different stakeholders on how to scale up social protection to achieve the UN High-Level Meeting target by 2027.
Interpretation will be available in French, Russian and International Sign Language.
Download the flyer and promote on social media, here.