Partners' Forum

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MARCH 23 - 25, 2009

THIRD STOP TB PARTNERS' FORUM , RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

The Stop TB Partnership Secretariat is pleased to announce that the third Partner's Forum will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 23-25, 2009.

The Forum serves as a vehicle for bringing partners together to renew their commitment and intensify their efforts to reach the targets set out in the Global Plan to Stop TB 2006-2015.

What is the Stop TB Partners' Forum

The Partners' Forum is the General Assembly of the Stop TB Partnership and the ultimate authority to which all elements of the Partnership are answerable. The Forum is an inclusive, consultative meeting of representatives of all Stop TB partners. Between 800 to 1,000 delegates are expected to attend, including the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Stop TB, Stop TB Ambassadors and high level representation from high burden and donor countries, multilateral organizations, intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations, affected communities, foundations, corporate sector as well as the research and academic communities.

Vision

An open, transparent and dynamic forum, which enables partners to assess progress, recognize and address weaknesses and inspire each other to achieve the targets set out in the Global Plan to Stop TB (2006-2015).

Objectives

To ensure the capacity of the Partnership to deliver the outcomes set out in the Global Plan to Stop TB (2006-2015).

• Leverage political commitment and boost funding for the implementation of TB programmes at national level to meet the Global Plan to Stop TB (2006-2015), MDG and Partnership targets;
• Strengthen the engagement of constituencies and communities in the implementation of the Global Plan;
• Mobilize and engage partners in the fight against TB;
• Report on trends in implementing the Global Plan;
• Influence TB control policy in participating endemic countries;
• Provide a platform for connecting partners and enhancing our network of mutual support.

The Partners' Forum will present important opportunities to:

• consolidate and reinforce partners' commitments, particularly high-level political commitment for the implementation of the Global Plan and Stop TB Strategy;
• provide a platform for engagement of high-level government, stakeholders and partner representatives;
• provide a highly visible platform to share and celebrate successes, endorse common strategies and policies and discuss ways of overcoming challenges in meeting collective goals;" provide a highly visible platform to share and celebrate successes, endorse common strategies and policies and discuss ways of overcoming challenges in meeting collective goals;
• provide a venue for constituencies to reach consensus on policy statements or positions, and communicate them to the wider partnership;
• foster collaboration among nations and partners battling TB;
• introduce new partners to the TB movement, and
• attract media attention to TB.

What is the history of the Stop TB Partners' Fora?

The first Stop TB Partners' Forum which took as its theme "50/50: Towards a TB-free future", was a landmark event for the global partnership movement to Stop TB. Hosted by the World Bank, it took place in Washington DC, in October 2001, attended by approximately 200 high-level representatives of 75 organizations and countries. The key outcome of the 2001 Partners Forum was the "branding" of the Stop TB Partnership. The Forum launched and endorsed the Global Plan to Stop TB (with strong expressions of support from George Soros, WHO and the World Bank, amongst others).

The second Stop TB Partners' Forum was hosted by the Government of India in March 2004 in New Delhi under the theme "Keeping the Pledge" The 350 participants, which included ministers, donor agencies and nongovernmental organizations, affirmed their commitment to intensifying efforts and accelerating action to attain the 2005 global targets for TB control, to expanding the outreach activities of the Global Partnership to Stop TB, with the aim of involving new partners, and to mobilizing more resources to facilitate the achievement of those targets. Prominent world leaders such as Mr Kofi Annan, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Mr Bill Clinton and Mr Mikhail Gorbachev emphasized their commitment to join the fight against TB.

Main achievements of Previous Partners' Fora

Item	Remarks
Implement 1st Global Planto Stop TB & launch 2nd Global Plan	Successfully done
Support launch of GFATM	TB highly prominent at GFATM
Launch GDF & provide drugs to 1 million additional patients	GDF 10 million treatment in 6 years
Achieve 70% CD & 85% CR by end 2005	61% CD and 84.6% CR
Develop & scale up effective responses to TB/HIV & MDR-TB	MDR: 51 projects in 40 countries: 25,000 patients
Endorse the Framework and the Branding of the Partnership	Partnership well placed - TB increasingly on the political/ development agendas
Bilateral discussions with ministerial delegations	Renewed commitment from several countries

Past Partners' Forums

Second Partners' Forum
Keeping the Pledge
Second Partners' Forum website

First Partners' Forum
"50/50: Towards a TB-free future"
First Partners' Forum website