In the first week of June 2022, Prof Harry Hausler visited Geneva, Switzerland, in his role as a member of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Civil Society Task Force on TB (CSTF). This body exists to “mainstream the voices of TB civil society and survivors in the work of WHO, national TB programmes and multisectoral partners.”[1]
The first few days were spent observing the WHO’s Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Tuberculosis meeting, which aims to provide the latest scientific and technical guidance to WHO, including briefing the Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the WHO’s TB programme.
Thereafter, the CSTF met to review progress during the previous year and the upcoming year’s workplan. Of particular interest in the upcoming year will be:
- The civil society hearing in preparation for the next United Nations High Level Meeting on TB in 2023
- Development of WHO guidance for engagement of communities and civil society to end TB
The visit concluded with a meeting with Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the 9th June and a virtual Global Townhall meeting to highlight the CSTF priorities and achievements to date and launch the latest progress report, and to engage with participants in an open dialogue on the future priorities for the Task Force.
[1] Meeting Report: Virtual Meeting of WHO Civil Society Task Force on TB
https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/meeting-report-virtual-meeting-of-who-civil-society-task-force-on-tb#:~:text=The%20WHO%20Civil%20Society%20Task,accelerate%20progress%20to%20End%20TB. [Accessed online 1 July 2022]
