TEMPO.CO, New York, United States - Indonesia initiated the establishment of an alliance of countries at the United Nations (UN) in New York, to encourage the handling of tuberculosis (TB) at the global level consistently, according to Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Nation, New York.

This Indonesian initiative is supported by Poland, the Philippines, and Nigeria who together become Co-Chairs of the Alliance, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO). To date, a total of 22 countries have joined the Alliance.

"Our efforts against tuberculosis have been going on for a long time, but there is no UN framework that routinely and consistently encourages attention to tuberculosis," said Indonesia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Arrmanatha Nasir, in his opening speech at the Launching of the Alliance of Countries on the Fight against Tuberculosis (Alliance), in New York (2/2), as reported from kemlu.go.id.

WHO welcomed the initiative, giving its full support to make the Alliance a prime mover of TB discussions at the United Nations in New York. Alliances can be used as a means for renewal, exchange of views, and sharing of experiences and knowledge to raise awareness among decision makers about health issues in New York. Alliances can be a critical component of the global TB architecture.

Werner Obermeyer, WHO Director in New York, highlighted the constraints in TB vaccine development globally. Although five companies are conducting clinical testing of TB vaccines, political support from countries is needed to speed up the completion of the vaccine.

In his response, the Polish UN Ambassador, Krzysztof Szczerski, expressed his appreciation for Indonesia's leadership in forming the Alliance. He added that the beginning of 2024 is the right time to intensify efforts, especially after the adoption of the UN Political Declaration to fight TB in 2023.

Similar voices also came from the Philippine Ambassador to the UN, Antonio Manuel Lagdameo, and Nigeria's Ad-Interim Authority to the UN, Bola Asaju. Although some countries have actively engaged in TB treatment with testing and tracing, the implementation of global commitments still needs further encouragement. The launch of the Alliance was appreciated by UN member states, and even before that, 22 countries had joined, reflecting the global commitment to tackle the TB challenge with concrete steps.

TEMPO.CO | KEMLU.GO.ID

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