March 2001, Sixth issue of the Stop TB Communiqué

STOP TB COMMUNIQUE

Issue 6, 6 March 2001

1. NEWS FROM THE STOP TB PARTNERSHIP SECRETARIAT

A successful interim Stop TB Coordinating Board meeting was held in Bellagio, Italy from 20–22 February. The meeting achieved its four stated objectives: to review progress and formulate priorities for action of the global partnership movement; to endorse and operationalize the Stop TB partnership strategy and governance mechanisms; to endorse the plan for launch and operationalization of the Global TB Drug Facility and Global TB Investment Plan; to review and approve the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat workplan and budget for 2001. Representatives from high TB burden countries, regions, donors, nongovernmental organizations/technical agencies, Stop TB working groups, WHO, the World Bank, and the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat attended the meeting, which was hosted by the Rockefeller Foundation at their conference centre in Bellagio. Members of the Board issued the following "Statement of Bellagio" after the meeting:

"STATEMENT OF BELLAGIO - first Stop TB (interim) Coordinating Board, 20-22 February

In March 2000, ministerial representatives of 20 countries suffering the highest burden from tuberculosis issued a challenge in the form of the Amsterdam Declaration. This challenge called for accelerated action to control the global TB epidemic. However, to date there is little evidence that there has been a significant expansion in the use of DOTS. In response to the challenge from Amsterdam we, the Coordinating Board of the Stop TB Initiative, representing governmental and nongovernmental agencies, developing countries, and technical and donor organizations, have met together in Bellagio, Italy from 20-22 February 2001. We commit to work together in voluntary partnership to achieve the TB control targets endorsed by the World Health Assembly in May 2000. To this end we have taken the following actions:

1. The Stop TB partnership and the board will operate by consensus among the members. We agreed on our mission, vision and priorities, and finalized mechanisms for governance.

2. The Stop TB Partnership Secretariat, hosted by WHO, will coordinate the development of a strategic plan for the partnership, building on the work done in preparation for the Global Investment Plan.

3. We finalized the scope, operations and governance of the Global TB Drug Facility (GDF):

(a) The GDF will be based in WHO and managed by the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat;

(b) A representative of the Stop TB Board, Christopher Lovelace (World Bank), will lead discussions with WHO on a memorandum of understanding to finalize the institutional arrangements for the GDF;

(c) The GDF will be formally launched on World TB Day (24 March 2001);

(d) We recognized the need for commitment to long-term support for the GDF.

4. We will be mobilizing partnerships and resources, and exploiting opportunities to strengthen the Stop TB Partnership, supporting global, regional and national TB coordination.

5. We approved the work plan and budget for the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat.

We believe that a firm foundation has now been laid for an accelerated response to the Amsterdam Declaration, through collective and coordinating action, and encourage all partners to join this global movement to Stop TB."

For further information please contact the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat at stoptbinfo@who.int.

Application forms sent to WHO Regional Offices for the (interim) GDF pilot projects were returned for the deadline of 28 February 2001. A list of nominations for a Technical Review Committee to review and prioritize applications has been circulated to partners for approval. Based on this review, 12 experts have been nominated to the Technical Review Committee (TRC). The first meeting of the TRC to review all applications and recommend countries to receive GDF grants will be held in mid-March. Countries eligible for the first round of support will be announced on World TB Day, 24 March 2001.

For further information please contact the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat at stoptbinfo@who.int.

The Stop TB Partnership Secretariat continues to seek support from partners for staff secondments in order to support global action towards operationalizing the "Amsterdam Declaration to Stop TB". Please contact the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat at stoptbinfo@who.int for further information.

A series of global events will be held to mark World TB Day 2001.

South Africa, Uitsig - Friday, 16 March '01 His Grace Archbishop Desmond Tutu
USA, New York - Tuesday, 20 March '01 Médécins sans Frontières news conference
USA, Washington, DC - Wednesday, 21 March '01 National Council for the Elimination of TB/STB
Launch of "omnibus bill"; Announcement of successful GDF pilot projects
Belgium, Brussels - Friday, 23 March '01 Global Alliance for TB Drug Development
Publication of Executive Summary of pharmacoeconomics report

Printed materials for World TB Day are now available from the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat. The World TB Day 2001 folder contains the Stop TB report on TB and Human Rights, a special edition newsletter, fact sheets, poster, sticker, and questionnaire. The materials, which are available in English, French, and Spanish, may be ordered from Ms Mireille Desplobains at mailto:desplobainsm@who.int and downloaded from the Stop TB website at /events/world_tb_day/2001/WTBDpack.htm. The materials were produced by the IUATLD and the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat.

DOTS Expansion

The draft report of the Cairo meeting was presented at the interim Coordinating Board meeting in Bellagio, Italy. "Progress in TB Control in high-burden countries 2001: 1 year after Amsterdam" summarizes the status of DOTS expansion over the past few years and profiles for each of the 22 high TB burden countries TB planning status and constraints, the actions needed to expand DOTS, the partners involved, and the financial needs and resource gaps required to rapidly expand DOTS coverage. The report is intended to facilitate identification by potential investors of areas to be supported and will provide a sound basis, derived from transparent country information, for monitoring progress towards full DOTS coverage. The final report will be available shortly.

The second meeting of the Working Group on DOTS Expansion will take place in Paris, France, on 31 October 2001.

DOTS-Plus for MDR-TB

The Working Group on DOTS-Plus for MDR-TB met in Lima, Peru, from 25-27 January 2001 to address address three areas of work: progress of MDR-TB management, access to second-line drugs, and development of a research agenda for MDR-TB. Following this meeting, WHO is now in a position to formulate its future international policy on the management of MDR-TB in resource-limited settings. Policy guidelines will be issued by WHO in collaboration with partners in two to three years' time after the data from pilot projects around the world are evaluated in terms of efficacy, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness. A full report of the meeting will be issued shortly by WHO.

Dr Jim Kim of the Harvard Medical School (USA) was elected chairman of the Working Group. He will no longer chair the Green Light Committee. The GLC met on 23 January. A 'PARTNERS' meeting was held on the 24.

2. CALENDAR OF EVENTS

The Stop TB Communiqué is issued monthly by email to global partners in order to share information on progress in the global partnership movement to stop TB. Partners are invited to submit news items, progress updates, comments and suggestions to reynoldsk@who.org. Stop TB Partnership Secretariat, World Health Organization, 20 avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27. Visit the Stop TB website at www.stoptb.org. The site is sponsored by the American Lung Association www.lungusa.org. Stop TB is a partnership hosted by the World Health Organization www.who.int.

Throughout the Stop TB Communiqué, "DOTS" is used as a brand name in its broadest sense as an umbrella term for all DOTS-based strategies, including DOTS-Plus for MDR-TB and expanded strategies to address TB/HIV.

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