We are fast approaching World TB Day 2018 on 24 March. We are inviting you to join the Stop TB Partnership and many others to make this day memorable and even more so by lighting up the world in red to #EndTB.
The 2018 World TB Day is more significant than ever before as it follows a historic busy, bold and determined Delhi End TB week, where the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi committed to End TB in India by 2025, 11 Ministerial Delegations under the leadership of the World Health Organization South-East Asia Region declared ambitious plans to End TB, and the Stop TB Partnership held a very successful 30th Board Meeting, all aiming to ensure we have an impactful first ever United Nations High-Level Meeting (UN HLM) on TB on 26 September.
Like the previous two years, the Stop TB Partnership and partners are continuing the global initiative "Light up the World in red to End TB". As we already know and experienced, it takes a lot of effort, perseverance, and determination to engage with organizations and local authorities to obtain permissions for city landmarks to light up in red on 24 March as a demonstration of their commitment towards ending TB.
Thanks to immense efforts of so many of you, more than 20 major cities so far have joined the initiative and conveyed their commitment to light up for TB with India’s most populous city, Mumbai kick-starting the initiative by lighting up the beautiful Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai building to mark the World TB Day.
Among the cities that will light up their landmarks in red are: Paris City Hall; Madrid and another five cities in Spain, including the famous theater in Oviedo, The Hague with multiple venues; Geneva with the Jet d'Eau and the famous Four Season’s Hotel; CN Tower Toronto; University College London (UCL) and the Leeds Town Hall; The Ukraine National Parliament building in Kiev; Bucharest City Hall and The National Gallery & History Museum of Armenia in Yerevan, to name only a few.
Let’s make this already significant list become an impressive map of red spots across the globe on World TB Day, that we are also meticulously capturing on our website www.stoptb.org with information about cities and landmarks who have joined this effort.
1. If you think it is still possible to light up the landmark of your city in red - please write or call the mayor and local representatives and urge them to join this unique global campaign. We still have time. Should you need the Partnership's assistance, feel free to reach out to Kadira Malkoc (kadiram@stoptb.org) in the Communications Team.
2. Check our website and if you are from one of the cities that will light up a landmark in red, share photos, selfies and posts of the world in red in large numbers on your social media channels and with the Stop TB Partnership so we can help disseminate your efforts. Please use #LightUpforTB to amplify the campaign.
We are very grateful to all of you and this amazing and strong TB community that will join the campaign to make red the color of the end of TB.