Parliamentarians from nine countries participated in the Asia Pacific TB Parliamentary Caucus to consider how best to build regional support for addressing tuberculosis.
Held in conjunction with the 5th Conference of The Union Asia Pacific Region in Sydney, Australia, the meeting on 31 August and 1 September 2015 was attended by representatives of Australia, the UK, India, Cambodia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.
The Hon Warren Entsch MP, northern Queensland hosted the meeting in Sydney, which was organised by Results International Australia. Those addressing the meeting included the Rt Hon Nick Herbert (MP and co-chair of the Global TB Caucus), Jose Luis Castro, (Executive Director, The Union), Dr Mario Raviglione, (Director, Global TB Programme, World Health Organization) and Dr Lucica Ditiu (Executive Director, Stop TB Partnership).
Of the nine million new cases of TB recorded in 2013, more than half were in the Asia Pacific Region.
The Global TB Caucus formed at the Global TB Summit held in November 2014 alongside the 45th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Barcelona, Spain. At the close of that event, the new international network of parliamentarians signed the Barcelona Declaration to End TB. Throughout the year, support for the Declaration has grown, and, as of 28 August, it had been signed by 558 parliamentarians from 81 countries.
The next Global TB Caucus which will be held on 30 November–1 December 2015 in Cape Town, South Africa in conjunction with the 46th Union World Conference on Lung Health.
Learn more about the Global TB Caucus
For complete conference details: http://www.aprunion2015.com/