IJID Publishes an Editorial ahead of UNGA Meeting on TB – ‘United to End TB: an urgent global response to a global epidemic’
On 26th September 2018, history will be made. For the first time ever, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will meet in New York (WHO 2018) with a specific focus on Tuberculosis (TB) which is the leading cause of death from an infectious disease worldwide (WHO 2017). The theme of the meeting is ‘United to End TB: an urgent global response to a global epidemic’ (United Nations 2018a). Heads of State will gather in New York on 26 September this year at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly first-ever high-level meeting (HLM), on tuberculosis (TB) to accelerate efforts in ending TB and reach all affected people with prevention and care.
This unprecedented UNGA High-Level Meeting on TB (UNGA-HLM-TB) has focused global attentionand generated high expectations of a major ‘step-up’ change for advancing political will to bring the devastating global TB epidemic under control. The UN-HLM-TB will be attended by Heads of State, Government ministers, the United Nations (UN) UN Secretary General, other UN leaders, parliamentarians, scientists, healthcare workers, civil society, community representatives, private sector and UN Ambassadors among other advocates (United Nations 2018b).