Geneva, August 31: Twenty-six days are left to September 26th when the first ever UN High-Level Meeting (UN HLM) on TB will take place in New York. Many Heads of State have committed to attending this historic meeting. But we need many more. Let’s flood Twitter and Facebook with bold messages to help them take the right decision.
The Stop TB Partnership and the World Health Organization (WHO) are urgently calling on all partners, TB survivors, activists, caregivers, community groups, the private sector and other stakeholders across the globe to lead bold ACTIONS to get TB the attention it deserves.
ACTION 1: Every day between now and the UN HLM, lets flood Twitter and Facebook with calls for your Heads of State participation at the UN HLM. But one day a week on Wednesdays Twitter and Facebook should glow with the mention of the UN HLM on TB.
Use the text below to create your country specific Tweet and Facebook post. Click here for HoS Twitter handles and click here for Country TB data. Click here for a list of Heads of State who committed to attend the UN HLM.
Template 1: "We urge [insert Name of Head of State/Government] to join forces NOW and attend the #UNHLMTB to #EndTB on 26th September 2018 in #NewYork. @StopTB @WHO"
Template 2: "Every day [insert number] people die of TB in [name of country]. [Name of your Head of State/Government + twitter handle], you can save precious lives by joining fellow Heads of State at the #UNHLMTB on 26th September in New York and pledging your commitment to #EndTB. @StopTB @WHO"
Find here a list of additional messages you can send your Head of State.
Please access our advocacy resources pages: WHO and Stop TB.
ACTION 2: From now until the UN HLM on September 26, we urge you to engage with media in your country to highlight the UN HLM.
To support your effort, we have created a Stop TB Partnership Media Pack and WHO Advocacy Resources comprising UN HLM FAQs, TB factsheets, Key Asks from TB stakeholders and communities, a list of country numbers of people who do not receive TB care and treatment, country-specific TB data tiles, a list of relevant organizations and partners and videos featuring TB survivors.
We urge you to disseminate these resources to your media contacts. Below are some of the news story ideas that you can pitch to the media in your country:
Reach out to us (communications@stoptb.org, gtbprogramme@who.int) if you need further information.
ACTION 3: The global LightUpforTB initiative was an immense success on World TB Day this year, with 60 landmarks - across 49 cities - in 24 countries glowing red on 24 March.
On September 26, the day of the UN HLM on TB, we are counting on your efforts to LightUpforTB in red the landmarks in your cities and countries to mark this historic moment.
a) Write to your local representative (councilor, mayor, etc.) and urge them to join this unique global campaign. Use the template letter which you can adapt as per your needs. Tag the activity with #LightUpforTB.
Feel free to reach out to Stop TB Partnership (communications@stoptb.org) and WHO (gtbprogramme@who.int) in case you need help.
For each of these five actions, tell us about your activities (via photos and selfies) by using the @stoptb twitter handle and #UNHLMTB and #LightUpforTB hashtags and we will pin these on our UN HLM world map (click here).
This is our opportunity to make history - let's raise our collective voices to ensure the UN HLM's impact is felt is every region, country, city and village to put the world on track to ending TB by 2030.
For more information on the UNHLM please access:
Stop TB Partnership: https://www.stoptb.org/global/advocacy/unhlm.asp
President of the General Assembly: https://www.un.org/pga/72/event-latest/fight-to-end-tuberculosis/