NEWS ALERT

06 February 2024 | Geneva, Switzerland

Brasília, February 5th, 2024 - On the sidelines of the Stop TB Partnership Board Meeting, the Brazilian Community Mobilization Summit was held on 4 and 5 February 2024. The event brought together TB-affected communities, civil society, TB programmes, and other partners from 17 States across Brazil. 

The summit aimed to bolster political commitment to end TB at both state and central levels through strategic discussions. These discussions included south-south knowledge exchange between Brazil, Mozambique and Nigeria, as well as strategic planning around the adaptation of One Impact Community-Led Monitoring in Brazil and the presentation of the newly launched "Key and Vulnerable Populations Size Estimation tool". This innovative tool prioritises outreach to higher-risk TB groups, such as vulnerable and marginalised populations, and plays a crucial role in budgeting and planning efforts to combat TB within these communities. This strategic approach ensures that the TB response in Brazil is tailored to the specific needs of these populations and is aligned with the broader goal of ending TB.

A significant outcome of the summit was "The Brasilia Statement," crafted by TB-affected communities and civil society in Brazil and the Americas region. This declaration highlights community priorities to end TB and calls for strong political support, earning endorsement from the Stop TB Partnership communities and NGO delegations.

Speaking on the summit's importance, Marcia Leao, Executive Director of Stop TB Brazil, stated: "This summit represents a crucial step in our ongoing battle against TB in Brazil. We are committed to ensuring that no one is left behind in our efforts to end this disease."

2023 Stop TB Partnership Community Award

To celebrate the organisations that have made significant contributions to TB control efforts, the 2023 Stop TB Partnership Community Award were announced during a gala evening titled "Aquele Abraço”. The two winners of the 2023 Stop TB Partnership Community Award are:

Janna Health Foundation from Nigeria, honoured for their work with nomadic and tribal pastoralists communities in Adamawa State.

Bridge Consulting from Pakistan, acknowledged for their efforts with transgender women and male sex workers in the TB response.

“The key to ending TB lies in how effective we engage and involve Key, Vulnerable and Underserved Communities in TB prevention and care. We invite all to join us on this journey to End TB among KVPs in Nigeria” said Dr Stephen John, Founder and Chief of the Janna Health Foundation.

“Bridge Consultants Foundation staff and field workers, including those who belong to key populations, are very excited to be among the winners of the 2023 Stop TB Partnership Community award. With the prize we intend to empower communities and scale up key and vulnerable populations interventions, to ensure access to quality TB diagnostic and treatment services without stigma and discrimination”, said Dr. Syed Sharaf Ali Shah, the Executive Director of the Bridge Consultants Foundation Pakistan.

The evening started with a Brazilian live drumming session and featured dialogues involving parliamentarians and representatives from key and vulnerable populations affected by TB, such as miners, LGBTQ+ individuals, urban poor, indigenous people, among others, emphasising their strong commitment to ending TB.

"In addition to Janna Health Foundation and Bridge Consultants Foundation I want to express our deepest appreciation to all the nominees. It is important to not only celebrate the winners but to also recognise the impactful work of all nominees in combating TB in their respective communities. The passion and commitment displayed by each nominee are truly commendable” said Jesper Wohlert, Director of European Partnerships at the Humana People To People Foundation.

The 2023 STP Community Award are jointly funded by the Stop TB Partnership and Humana People to People Foundation. The Award recognises outstanding contributions to TB control, with this year's theme focusing on Key and Vulnerable Populations.

The Stop TB Partnership Board Welcomes New Board Members
 

Furthermore, in a move underscoring the importance of involving key and vulnerable populations in TB response strategies, the Key and Vulnerable Populations, in collaboration with the Stop TB Secretariat, announced the board members for the newly formed Key And Vulnerable Population (KVP) Constituency.
 

Vama Jele is a migrant ex-mineworker, who worked for 18 years in Kloof Gold Mine in South Africa and is well known in the fight for justice for the communities of mineworkers (miners, their families and those residing in mining operations) in the Southern Africa. 

 

Aman Shukla, a young people advocate known for their work with LGBTQ organizations, networks across India and health expertise on key and vulnerable populations, human rights, research and advocacy. Together with Tariro Kutadza, selected as Alternate Board Member, they are the Board Leadership for the KVP constituency.
 

 

This development comes as an outcome of the Board Strategy Review that started in late 2021, spearheaded by the Executive Committee of the Stop TB Partnership Board and the Vice-Chair of the Board. 

“I congratulate the selection of these personalities as Board Members and Alternate. The expectations are high as the constituency they will need to represent is very large and diverse. The Stop TB Partnership is a pathfinder as no other global health institution had attempted to offer Board seats to the populations most vulnerable to and affected by a disease. I am impressed with the good practice the newly formed Delegation has put in place to ensure meaningful engagement and accountability by setting up a policy to review performance of their leadership on a yearly basis. This is very commendable, and we will support this young delegation in making the voice of key and vulnerable populations heard loud and clear at the Stop TB Partnership Board,“ said Chief Austin Arinze Obiefuna, Vice-Chair, Stop TB Partnership.

"Key and vulnerable populations are too often overlooked in the TB response. At Stop TB Partnership, we are committed to supporting countries in profiling and assisting TB KVPs. Without this focus, we cannot eliminate TB. We now have dedicated seats on our Governing Board for the KVP constituency, and it is fitting that we celebrate the excellence of Janna Health Foundation Nigeria and Bridge Consultants Foundation Pakistan in building the evidence, engagement, and empowerment of KVPs through the 2023 STP Community Award, supported by the Stop TB Partnership and Humana People to People Foundation," stated Dr. Lucica Ditiu, Executive Director of the Stop TB Partnership.