Udenrigsudvalget 2017-18
URU Alm.del Bilag 66
Offentligt
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Introduction to the Global TB Caucus
Headlines
TB kills more people every year than any other infectious disease; more than HIV and malaria
combined. It is an airborne bacterial infection that is transmitted when a sick person coughs or
sneezes. It predominantly attacks the lungs but can be found anywhere in the body. Eliminating TB
by 2030 is one of the targets in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed by world leaders
in September 2015. At the current rate of progress that target will be missed by 180 years.
Political leadership and the Global TB Caucus:
Diagnosing and treating TB is difficult, but it can be done. Many countries have outdated or
incomplete policies for tackling the disease, and others systematically underinvest in the epidemic.
In high-income countries development assistance money is not invested in the TB epidemic to the
same degree as other infectious diseases, and public money is needed to kick-start the development
of new drugs, diagnostics and vaccines.
Political leadership against TB is critical to tackling the disease. For that reason, Nick Herbert MP
and the South African Health Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, launched an international network of
parliamentarians in October 2014 known as the Global TB Caucus. To date, the Global TB Caucus is
the world’s largest network of parliamentarians on a single issue, counting 2,400 members from
over 134 countries.
The Global TB Caucus:
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Is non-political and non-partisan, it is open to any parliamentarian anywhere in the world to
join.
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Committed to high-burden countries leading the response against their own epidemics,
through increased funding and the implementation of better policies.
•
Committed to driving investment in research and development from countries with world-
leading scientific institutions such as the UK.
•
Driving political leadership at every level, from the Heads of State at G20 level, right down
to local councillors and elected representatives.
•
Using its convening power to bring together key stakeholders to find solutions to one of the
world’s most intractable health challenges.
The Global TB Caucus Secretariat is independent and accountable to the members of the Global TB Caucus. It is hosted by RESULTS UK, a
UK registered charity.
URU, Alm.del - 2017-18 - Bilag 66: Materiale fra the Global TB Caucus til foretræde den 5. december 2017
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The Global TB Caucus is not an end in itself. Our objective is not to create an organisation but to
transform the fight against TB. The map above shows the countries in which we currently have
support from political representatives. There is much work remaining to be done in Western Africa
and the Middle-East.
Nonetheless, members of the Global TB Caucus have begun to generate impressive progress against
TB, despite only having a formal Secretariat for less than a year. Almost all of these success stories
are due to parliamentarians acting in partnership with local civil society organisations.
Successes to date:
•
Securing an unprecedented commitment to TB from the G20 Heads of State around the
research and development of new tools to tackle drug-resistant infections, and an
accompanying Declaration from G20 Health Ministers.
•
The passage of new legislation in Peru, the Philippines and Georgia, marking a step change
in TB care and prevention in each of those countries.
•
Increased domestic budgets for TB care and prevention in Vietnam (20% in a year), Kenya
(doubling), Ukraine (doubling), Myanmar, Nepal, and MPs in Zimbabwe helped secure
legislation that would ensure 5% of all mobile phone credit costs would be invested in
health.
•
Commitments from governments in the UK (£1bn over five years) and Germany in research
for global health, and in Australia (AUD$300m over five years) to improve health security
across the region.
•
Supporting the full replenishment of the Global Funds to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria in
2016. 

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Securing a statement from the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance that TB should be
considered a cornerstone of the global AMR threat. 

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Helping secure support for the motion at the UN General Assembly which led to the
agreement of United Nations’ High-Level Meeting on TB.
•
And dozens of debates, parliamentary motions, special hearings, and meetings with
Ministers across the world on TB.
•
Supporting the full replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria in
2016, which has so far treated more than 15 million people for TB worldwide.
TB and the Civil Society Response
The Caucus is committed to building a sustainable, locally-led response to the disease. We believe
that the only effective way to tackle a disease such as TB is through each country taking ownership
for its own epidemic, with the necessary support from regional and global stakeholders.
One of the ways that we approach this is by supporting the creation of National TB Caucuses. They
are non-partisan groups of elected representatives built on the model of a US Caucus, or a UK All-
Party Parliamentary Group. These are independent but affiliated national branches of the Global TB
Caucus, supported by a local civil society organization (CSO) which are in turn, supported by the
Global TB Caucus secretariat to engage with parliamentarians to drive action on TB at a national
level. Although unofficial, they demonstrate to colleagues and Ministers the depth of support for a
certain issue.
The Global TB Caucus Secretariat is independent and accountable to the members of the Global TB Caucus. It is hosted by RESULTS UK, a
UK registered charity.