The Union is the world’s first global health organisation, founded in 1920. We are a global leader in ending TB, we fight the tobacco industry, and we solve key problems in treating major diseases.
The Union’s work directly supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations (UN) Member States, to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all.
Sustainable Development Goal 3 is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. To measure progress against this goal there are targets that cover global health priorities, including maternal and child health, communicable diseases, universal health coverage and non-communicable diseases.
Sustainable Development Goal TARGET 3.3
"By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases."
In support of target 3.3, The Union can demonstrate its impact using the principle of ‘Know. Share. Act.’ These principles have driven The Union’s work since its founding 100 years ago, and demonstrate how ground-breaking science, if properly shared can drive global action. The following examples demonstrate how The Union’s work leads to change – from research, to knowledge and implementation.
KNOW
KNOW is where The Union gathers the evidence through our clinical trials, operational research and analysis of health policy and policy transfer issues.
Research
Each year, The Union Centre for Operational Research trains over 1,000 participants from around the world, resulting in more than 1,500 papers being published.
Child & Adolescent Tuberculosis
The Union works to develop, test, implement and scale up routine screening of child contacts of people with TB. We run observational studies and advocate to ensure children and adolescents are included in clinical trials that target diagnostics, vaccines and treatment of TB disease and infection.
DETECT Child TB project
In Uganda, the DETECT Child TB project empowered frontline health workers to provide TB screening to 2270 child TB contacts, meaning diagnosis happened in village health centres, rather than central hospitals, catching the disease earlier and lessening burden on hospitals.
SHARE
SHARE is where The Union shares the evidence and knowledge gained widely, ensuring it is accessible to all, assisting our partners and disseminating latest best practice
Conferences
The Union has been organising conferences around the world on lung health and related issues for over a hundred years.
The Union World Conference on Lung Health is the world’s largest gathering of clinicians and public health workers, health programme managers, policymakers, researchers and advocates working to end the suffering caused by lung disease.
Union Courses
The Union's Training and Education Department organises online and face-to-face. In 2023, over 4,500 people were trained globally.
The IJTLD
The IJTLD is the leading peer-reviewed journal dedicated to lung health worldwide.
We welcome submissions on basic, translational, clinical, epidemiological and programmatic research relevant to the Union’s mission to find health solutions for these conditions.
ACT
ACT is where we The Union works with others to implement solutions, delivering life-saving health services and advocating for the policies and resources needed to safeguard health.
Technical Assistance
Our goal is to provide assistance that addresses both national priorities and international standards, policies and objectives.
The Union’s focus is on working hand-in-hand, in partnership with the country.
Project Axshya
In collaboration with local partners and over 15,000 community volunteers, The Union provided innovative tuberculosis (TB) interventions designed to serve traditionally hard-to-reach and at-risk populations in India.
Integrated HIV Care Programme - Myanmar
Through its Integrated HIV Care (IHC) Programme, The Union Office in Myanmar currently provides services to nearly 34,000 People Living with HIV, more than 33,400 of which are taking antiretroviral treatment.
Sustainable Development Goal TARGET 3.4
By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
TB-HIV, TB-Diabetes and other co-morbidities
The Union develops, tests, implements and scales up models of care for co-morbid conditions that increase the risk of developing TB, that are prevalent in high TB burden settings, or that adversely affect TB treatment outcomes.
The Global Asthma Network
In collaboration with the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, The Union founded the Global Asthma Network (GAN) which published The Global Asthma Report 2018, an 88 page cutting edge State-of-the-Art report, with contributions from 53 experts around the globe.
Sustainable Development Goal TARGET 3.A
Strengthen the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate.
Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use Grants Program
The Union has managed 495 Bloomberg tobacco control grants in 45 countries.
Tobacco control
The Union has helped:
• 3.82 billion people in 37 countries through smoke-free laws
• 3.87 billion people in 28 countries through higher tobacco tax
• 4.11 billion people in 33 countries through graphic health warnings
Tobacco advertising
subtitle: The tobacco industry spends billions of dollars on advertising to increase sales
The Union has helped 4.13 billion people in 28 countries through advertising bans.