The United Nations High Level Meeting (HLM) on TB is rapidly approaching. The U.N. HLM on TB will take place on September 26, 2018 during the second day of general debate of the General Assembly at its seventy-third session in New York. Civil society and community-based organizations have a critical role to play in raising the profile and understanding of the issues we face in TB among heads of state, permanent missions to the United Nations, ministers of health, national delegations to the U.N. HLM, parliamentarians, and other relevant officials, and in ensuring that the commitments made at the HLM are translated into real investments and actions at the country level.

To facilitate engagement between civil society and community groups and national policy makers and permanent missions to the United Nations, TAG and partners have created the following tools and resources:

• Videos from a TB Research Briefing for UN Missions, “The Vital Role of Research for TB Elimination.” This briefing, held in New York City on June 4, 2018 and hosted by Treatment Action Group, Médecins Sans Frontières, the Stop TB Partnership, the Union, in partnership with the the Permanent Missions of Brazil and India to the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Development Programme, to provide information and an opportunity for discussion on the importance of investing in the full spectrum of TB research and adopting principles to guide research to ensure efficiency and equitable access.
• Key Asks document for the U.S. Government for use by U.S.-based advocates that outlines strategic resources, programs, research and policy needed to impact USG domestic and global TB elimination efforts.
• A brief on TB research and development (R&D) needs and key asks to use during outreach to permanent missions to the United Nations and heads of state/government.
• A brief on pediatric TB needs and key asks to use during outreach to permanent missions to the United Nations and heads of state/government.
• Template Letters to: Heads of State and Government  and to Ministers of Health (MS Word files) that can be easily adapted to the country context with the help of our…
• Dashboard: a database that includes country-specific information that can be slotted into the letter where prompted (MS Excel file)
• ​​If your country isn’t listed on the dashboard, and you want help collecting information to adapt the letter template, please contact: Lindsay.McKenna@treatmentactiongroup.org
• TB R&D Funding targets brief: a policy brief that outlines country-specific R&D funding targets (PDF file) that was developed using the following…
• Methodology: a description of the methodology used by TAG to set country-specific R&D funding targets (MS Powerpoint file)

These tools were initially developed in preparation for the Moscow Ministerial Conference on TB in November 2017 and have since been updated by TAG for the U.N. High-Level Meeting on TB. Before the Moscow Ministerial Conference, TAG and the Global Coalition of TB Activists (GCTA) hosted a webinar on how civil society and community groups can use these materials and other methods to initiate a dialogue with their national governments in advance of the Ministerial Conference and maintain communication and accountability in the lead up to the UN High Level Meeting on TB and beyond. See below for the recording.

Panel included:

• Jeffry Acaba, ACT Asia Pacific
• Fanny Voitzwinkler, TB Europe Coalition
• Sharonann Lynch, Médecins Sans Frontières
• Timur Abdullaev, TB People
• Anele Yawa, Treatment Action Campaign

Moderator: Marcus Low, Spotlight

Engaging policy makers ahead of the Ministerial Conference and UN High-Level Meeting on TB from Treatment Action Group on Vimeo.