New

Stop TB Partnership for Europe Meeting of Partners, Riga, Latvia, 27th June 2007:

Background

The Stop TB Partnership for Europe was launched on 10 October 2006 at a meeting of 25 leading European organizations hosted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies in Geneva. It is a regional-level entity established under the umbrella of the Global Partnership to Stop TB, and aims to accelerate progress against the TB epidemic by promoting full funding and implementation of the Global Plan to Stop TB 2006-2015 in the European region.

Goals

1. Build political commitment to ensure sustainable funding for full implementation of the Global Plan to Stop TB 2006-2015 by:
• collecting information on resource flows for TB control in the region
• identifying gaps and priorities for TB control in the region
2. Facilitate coordination of TB stakeholders in the region by:
• identifying strategic partnerships and actions
• engaging new partners in TB control
• joint messaging and advocacy
3. Mobilize and build capacity for active participation of civil society, patients and affected communities.

Structure

The structure of the European partnership composes two entities in its start-up phase: the Executive Committee, and a Coordinating Office.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is the partnership's governance body, comprised of elected representatives of the partnership's core constituencies. It has three main functions: 1) to formulate priorities for action by the partnership; 2) to approve and monitor the work plan and budget of the Coordinating Office; and 3) to coordinate resource mobilization for activities of the Partnership and TB control in the region. The following members will serve an interim term until June 2007:

Multilateral agencies

• Richard Zaleskis, Regional TB Advisor
  WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen
• John O'Toole, External Relations and Country Support
  European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm

Red Cross/Red Crescent

• Bengt Westerberg, Vice President, European Region,
  and President, Swedish Red Cross, Stockholm

Donor organizations

• Mick Matthews, Civil Society Officer
  The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, Geneva

Technical agencies

• Robert Loddenkemper, Secretary General
  German Central Committee Against Tuberculosis,
  and former President, European Respiratory Society, Berlin

Private sector (alternates)

• Matti Ojanen, Director, International Affairs and Public Policy
  AstraZeneca International, London
• Patrizia Carlevaro, Head, International Aid Unit
  Eli Lilly and Co, Geneva

Endemic countries

• Archil Salakaia, Executive Director
  National Centre of TB and Lung Disease, Tbilisi, Georgia

Affected communities

• Paul Thorn, TB/HIV Advisor
  East European and Central Asian Union of PLWA Organizations, London

Advocacy NGOs and networks

• Sheila Davie, National Director
  RESULTS UK, Leamington Spa

Ex officio members

• Bruce Eshaya-Chauvin, Head, Health & Care Department
  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Geneva
• Marcos Espinal, Executive Secretary
  Global Partnership to Stop TB, Geneva

Chair: John O'Toole

Coordinating Office

The Coordinating Office is hosted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Health & Care Department) in Geneva. It supports the activities of the Executive Committee and coordinates the work of partners in implementing the Executive Committee's policies and work plans.

Coordinator:

• To be determined

Action Plan

At the founding meeting of the Partnership in Geneva on 10 October 2006, participants agreed upon a 10-point "action plan" of priority activities to guide the development of the Stop TB Partnership for Europe in its initial phase. They are to:

1. Develop a strategy and operations plan to support a European ministerial forum on TB planned for the second half of 2007;
2. Organize a World TB Day 2007 event in the European Parliament in Brussels;
3. Map services and resources in the European region;
4. Draft a capacity-building plan to enable greater participation of civil society in TB control activities;
5. Develop a strategic plan for a media campaign to raise awareness among relevant decision-makers;
6. Map media and advocacy groups in the region and develop a long-term plan to scale up media coverage of TB and related issues in affected countries;
7. Undertake outreach activities to broaden the membership base of the Stop TB Partnership in Europe;
8. Disseminate and promote best practice models for TB control in Europe;
9. Engage relevant European and national decision-makers;
10. Build collaborative mechanisms with HIV/AIDS and other relevant organizations.

Documents:

Click here for the list of dcouments.