The Union was the first non-governmental organisation to be officially recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Union has been formally granted the role of a non‑State actor in official relations with the WHO.
“Official relations” is a privilege that the WHO’s Executive Board grants to nongovernmental organisations that contribute significantly to the advancement of public health, and have a sustained and systematic engagement in the interest of the WHO, and have aims and activities which conform with the spirit, purposes and principles of WHO’s Constitution.
This privilege includes:
- A special agreed collaborative arrangement of three‑years with WHO, supporting WHO’s work;
- An invitation to participate in sessions of WHO’s governing bodies, including the possibility to submit a statement in advance of debates.
- The opportunity to organise side events during the annual World Health Assembly.
The current collaboration between the WHO and The Union (2024-2026)
Through this collaboration, with a focus on low and middle-income countries, WHO and The Union aim to:
- Facilitate the implementation of the End Tuberculosis (TB) strategy and the WHA resolution 67.1 Global strategy and targets for tuberculosis prevention, care and control after 2015, in line with the UN General Assembly resolution on the fight against TB
- Support the implementation of MPOWER measures to reduce demand for tobacco
- Reduce the deaths and disease caused by non-communicable chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs), in line with the WHO global action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (2013-2030)
- Address the health impact of air pollution, particularly relating to CRDs, in line with the 2015 resolution “Health and the Environment: addressing the health impact of air pollution”
Activities within this collaboration include:
Supporting WHO strengthen in-country TB research infrastructures, particularly through operational and implementation research, with a particular focus on the following areas:
- TB preventive treatment (with a focus on household contact investigation);
- Special needs of children and adolescents with TB/at risk of TB
- The use of treatment decision algorithms for pulmonary TB in children
- Integration of screening with TB preventive treatment
- Digital technologies
- Introduction of WHO recommended oral and shorter regimens DS-TB and DR-TB
- Infection Control measures
- Models of integration to address TB and comorbidities and health related risk factors
- Community engagement (modalities of implementation relevant to latest WHO guidance)
- People centred integrated service delivery
- Social protection
- Integration of collaborative activities for TB and tobacco within TB services and in primary care
Supporting WHO’s work on child and adolescent TB by:
- Actively promoting uptake of WHO developed e-courses on TB in children and adolescents for strategic resource persons and primary healthcare workers, including implementation through the Child & Adolescent TB Centre of Excellence
- Disseminating and facilitating implementation of the key actions of the 2023 roadmap on ending TB among children and adolescents
- Facilitating the adaptation of the e-course on the management of TB in children and adolescents at country level targeting primary health care workers
Supporting WHO’s work on the uptake of latest WHO guidelines and guidance documents through capacity building activities targeting National TB Programmes and service providers. This includes facilitating the uptake of WHO developed e-courses on TB and their adaptation to country context.
Disseminating WHO’s public health messages, information and research knowledge to improve diagnosis and treatment of TB, CRDs and reduction of risk factors.
Providing technical assistance – in line with latest WHO guidelines and guidance – to integrate CRD prevention and management into primary care.
Previous collaborative highlights
The Union coordinated official briefings for United Nations Missions on TB, to ensure world leaders are making the necessary commitments to TB and TB research and innovation, and then keeping to those commitments.
Statements at WHO governing body meetings
At the 73rd World Health Assembly in 2020, The Union submitted a statement urging Member States to prioritise TB care and treatment during COVID-19 to prevent catastrophic loss of life.
At the 72nd World Health Assembly in 2019, The Union submitted:
- Intervention on antimicrobial resistance
- Intervention on Universal Health Coverage
- Intervention urging Member States to fulfil their commitments was made at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on TB
- Intervention on access to medicine and vaccine
At the 71st World Health Assembly in 2018, The Union submitted
- Intervention on medicine and vaccine shortage
- Statement calling for air pollution to be addressed
- Statement on the preparation for the United Nations High-Level meeting on Tuberculosis
At the 70th World Health Assembly in 2017, The Union submitted:
- Intervention supporting strengthening synergy between the WHA and COP
- Intervention calls on Member States to include TB as part of the response to antimicrobial resistance
- Intervention on health of refugees and migrants
- Intervention on TB urges rapid adoption of WHO guidance to accelerate delivery of new tools
- Intervention on R&D investment
Side events during the World Health Assembly
The Union launched the world’s first Global Charter for Lung Health at a side event at the World Health Assembly in 2017, attended by Uruguay’s Public Health Minister.
The Union hosted a World Health Assembly side meeting in 2017 on Ending TB in the Sustainable Development Agenda, bringing together experts to discuss the urgent need for TB investment.
The Union hosted a side event of the World Health Assembly in 2018 where it launched a report, Silent Epidemic: A Call to Action Against Child Tuberculosis, calling for urgent action to protect children from TB.
Collaborative work with WHO
Roadmap for Zoonotic Tuberculosis
The Union supported the WHO, along with the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, to develop the first-ever Roadmap for Zoonotic TB in 2017 to address the major health and economic impact of this disease.
The Union worked closely with WHO to release a training toolkit to combat childhood TB in 2014. The training focuses on building the capacity of health care workers at the primary and secondary level to address and manage TB in children.
Laboratory Diagnosis of Tuberculosis by Sputum Microscopy: The Handbook
The Union supported WHO to develop this practical guide in 2013 for laboratory technicians on smear microscopy for the laboratory diagnosis of TB and for monitoring the patients' response to treatment.