22 October 2022 – Armed conflict is a global health issue, and it diminishes any hope of ending tuberculosis (TB). Not only does armed conflict cause death and injuries, but it also displaces people, leads to supply shortages, destruction of infrastructure, intensifies the burden on health services and has severe consequences for the health of entire communities. For the TB community it is no different. Armed conflict has placed a huge burden on the health system, displaced people affected by TB, risking their ability to be diagnosed and treated, to accessing and continuing care, heightenes the risk of TB transmission and the development of forms of TB resistance.
Despite these conflicts, amazing people continue to deliver essential TB services and save lives.
This year the Kochon Prize will acknowledge the efforts of these remarkable people, programmes, services, and organizations who work tirelessly to ensure the continuity of essential TB care and support services to people with TB and affected communities, during armed conflict.
Who can be nominated?
People, programmes, organizations, etc (see below) working in areas where there is armed conflict; namely international armed conflicts, opposing two or more States, and non-internal armed conflicts, between governmental forces and non-governmental groups, or between such groups only.
According to the Geneva Academy of International Law and Human Rights there are currently over 110 active armed conflicts around the world. Please see here for a list of the armed conflicts per region.
Nominees may include:
- Civil Society Organizations
- Local groups of volunteers
- National TB Programmes or members of National TB Programmes
- Health care services – including private networks
- Health care professionals
- Community health workers
- TB-affected community organizations
- Networks/ individuals -Activists and TB Survivors
Nomination Period
The period for nominations begins on 22 October 2022. The online nomination process must be completed no later than 11 December 2022 at 6:00PM Central European Time (CET).
Nomination Process
You can make nominations online. To access the nomination platform, click here. Full details regarding the nomination process, including the selection committee, the selection criteria, and requirements can be found here.
Nominations Requirements
- Completed nomination form; and
- Letter of support from the nominator. The letter can also be from (endorsed by) multiple people/organizations.
Selection Criteria
- The operating environment.
- The type of efforts made.
- The extent of effort used to ensure the continuation of TB services while operating in an armed conflict setting.
Award Announcement
The winner(s) of the Kochon Prize 2022 will be announced during the Stop TB Partnership Board Meeting in India, March 2023.
The Kochon Foundation
Funded by the Kochon Foundation, a non-profit foundation based in the Republic of Korea, the USD 65,000 prize is the largest prize devoted to TB. The Kochon Prize was established in 2006 in honour of the late Chairman Chong-Kun Lee, founder of the Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical Corporation and Kochon Foundation in Korea, who was committed throughout his career to improving access to low-cost lifesaving antibiotics and anti-TB drugs. More information on the Kochon Prize can be found here.