stop tb symposium

Accelerating Impact :  'Developing a post-2015 Stop TB Strategy and Targets'

DATE:  Tuesday, 13 November 2012

TIME:  09:00 - 18:00

ROOM:  Plenary Hall (Level 1)

The Stop TB Symposium is organised by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is open to all delegates; no badge is required to access the meeting room.

Background

The Stop TB Strategy that underpins the Global Plan to Stop TB 2006-2015 was launched by WHO in 2006. The Strategy was conceived as a means to achieve the 2015 international targets set under the Millennium Development Goals and by the Stop TB Partnership. While implementation of the Stop TB Strategy has helped make remarkable progress towards meeting global 2015 targets, several challenges exist to make further progress and sustain gains. Building on the Stop TB Strategy, more needs to be done to scale up implementation and current available tools are clearly not sufficient to pursue TB elimination with vigor.  A new vision, targets and strategy are needed within a changing environment of global health and financing, and to optimise prioritisation of efforts.  The strategy must define core interventions, incorporate recent innovations and enable rapid adoption of those to come.   It must engage a much wider array of stakeholders within and beyond the health sector.  It needs to build on TB programmatic strengths but also ensure engagement of the drivers of change in affected communities, in health systems, in development initiatives and in the realm of research.  It must also enable prioritization, given specific country contexts.

Process underway

At the World Health Assembly 2012, Ministers of Health called on the World Health Organization to develop a post-2015 TB strategy and accompanying targets for their consideration in 2014.  The World Health Organization, working with the Stop TB Partnership, has begun the process of developing the post-2015 TB strategy with an in-depth analysis of the drivers of the global TB epidemic, formulating possible new targets, preparing early drafts of the components and the content of the new strategy, and beginning wide consultation on the framework and targets.  The WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group (STAG-TB) endorsed the approach and process for further development in June 2012 and a group of Stop TB Partners, including civil society and affected communities, met to provide first feedback.   Consultation at regional meetings with National TB Programmes and others partners have begun.  The Stop TB Symposium offers an outstanding opportunity to engage a large range of partners and viewpoints in discussing the work done to date and the way forward.   The consultations in 2012 will inform further revision and finalisation of the strategy and targets in 2013 for subsequent endorsement, adoption and adaptation at country level. 

Specific objectives of the Stop TB Symposium

(i) To inform and seek feedback from a wide range of stakeholders on the process of developing  post-2015 TB strategy and targets

(ii) To discuss a proposed framework for the strategy and target setting

(iii) To secure wide engagement and collaboration during the next steps of developing the strategy, its wide endorsement and implementation.

Please click here to download the Stop Tb Symposium programme as a PDF