The World Health Organization, in collaboration with the Stop TB Partnership organized a Ministerial Panel, prior to the opening plenary of the United Nations High Level-Meeting on ending AIDS on 8th June 2016. The meeting provided a unique opportunity to raise the profile of HIV-associated TB at the highest political level and to create an opportunity to renew commitment from national governments and other critical stakeholders to catalyse action and eliminate TB deaths among people living with HIV. The Panel was convened by the UN Special Envoy on TB, Eric Goosby, and opened by WHO's Assistant Director-General on HIV, Tuberculosis, Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, Ren Minghui and Chair of the Board of the Stop TB Partnership and Minister of Health of South Africa, Aaron Motsoaledi. Other panelists included Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Minister of Health for Nigeria, Isaac Adewole. Discussants providing commentary included Global AIDS Ambassador for PEPFAR, Deborah Birx ; Executive Director of the Global Fund, Mark Dybul; Deputy Administrator of USAID Global Health, Ariel Pablos-Mendez; Secretary General of IFRC, Elhadj As Sy; and community representative, Thokozile Beatrex Nkhoma.
The session elicited some important commitments from the Ministers. Minister Motsoaledi highlighted South Africa’s commitment to leaving no one behind, emphasising the importance of addressing HIV-associated TB in the vulnerable and more at risk populations such as prisoners, miners and those living in the mining communities. Minister Tedros Adhanom highlighted the importance of re-examining political and programmatic responses, as well as the critical need for investment in research and development if we are to achieve the targets set out in WHO’s End TB Strategy. Minister Adewole, outlined Nigeria’s plans to end HIV-related mortality through strengthened and decentralized healthcare services, including through the expansion of GeneXpert machines to every local government healthcare facility to expedite diagnosis of HIV-associated TB.
The latest United Nations Declaration on AIDS was endorsed by Member States at the opening session of the High Level Meeting. The declaration includes a set of specific, time-bound targets and actions that must be achieved by 2020 if the world is to get on the Fast-Track and end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. It also includes a target to reduce TB deaths among PLHIV by 75% - by 2020, compared with 2010, as aligned with the End TB Strategy and to commit to achieve targets set in the Global Plan to Stop TB 2016 – 2020 through expanding efforts to combat tuberculosis, including drug resistant tuberculosis, by improving prevention, screening, diagnosis and affordable treatment and access to antiretroviral therapy, and intensified TB case finding among all persons living with HIV utilizing new tools, including rapid molecular tests through joint programming, patient-centred integration and co-location of HIV and TB services, ensuring that national protocols for HIV/TB co-infection reflect the latest WHO recommendations. More details on the Ministerial Panel can be found at the links below.