WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, participated in the first ever HIV/TB Global Leaders' Forum on 9 June 2008 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The forum's aim was to accelerate action on fighting the dual epidemic.
It has concluded with a call to strengthen the actions needed to respond to the dual threat of HIV/TB. TB kills nearly one quarter of a million people living with HIV every year - even though TB can be treated.
The forum was the largest gathering of world leaders at a TB-related event. Convened by the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Stop TB, Dr Jorge Sampaio, he is to report on the outcomes of the forum to the UN High-Level Meeting on AIDS.