In May 2019, the historic Declaration of the Rights of People Affected by TB was launched by TBpeople, in partnership with the Stop TB Partnership and together with the three civil society delegations (Communities, Developing Country NGO and Developed Country) to the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The launch in Geneva was attended by TB survivors, human rights experts and global health leaders, including Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
The launch of the Declaration is a significant step in recognizing the urgent need to adopt a human rights-based approach to TB and fund human rights-based interventions that overcome barriers to universal access. The Declaration aims at empowering people affected by TB to know and claim their human rights. It is grounded in international human rights law, built upon States’ existing human rights obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other legally binding treaties. The Declaration demands recognition and respect for these rights for people affected by TB, including the rights to life, health, privacy, liberty and to be free from discrimination.
