ACT Asia-Pacific! A NEW ASIA-PACIFIC COALITION OF TB ACTIVISTS

APCASO and the Global Coalition of TB Activist (GCTA) recently launched ACT Asia-Pacific!, a regional coalition of individuals and community and civil society groups working for effective, people-centred, rights-based, and sufficiently and strategically resourced TB responses. ACT Asia-Pacific!, the region’s first TB activists’ coalition, emerged from a GCTA and APCASO-led regional TB activists’ convening (November 8-10, 2016) in Bangkok, Thailand.

ACT Asia-Pacific! calls on the international and regional development communities, governments, funders, researchers, and civil society movements (PLHIV, treatment access, anti-poverty, human rights, women’s, health, right to food, people with disabilities, etc.) to give TB the political attention it deserves, matched with the resources needed to reach the global goal of ending TB by 2030. It is also calling for  a more effective TB and HIV responses integration.”

Meeting outcomes included:

  • The establishment of ACT Asia-Pacific!
  • The initial draft of IMPACT! Asia-Pacific, the coalitions advocacy implementation plan;
  • Plans to establish FACT$! (Funding Champions for TB), the funders’ counterpart of the coalition which we hope will have members who commit to funding and raising resources for TB.
  • A plan to, as a coalition, submit a regional Global Fund funding request in 2017.
ACT Asia-Pacific! commits to work on 5 key theme areas:
1. We will ACT to give TB the political attention it deserves.
2. We will ACT to present an alternative model to the pervading bio-medical approach to TB.
3. We will ACT to overcome barriers to TB treatment and diagnostics access.
4. We will ACT towards securing adequate and strategic investments for TB, making sure that these investments go to the right interventions, including by communities.
5. We will ACT to support a coordinated and capacitated TB community and activist movement.
For information on how W4GF advocates can engage visit the APCASO website here

 

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