The Nairobi Strategy high level meeting on Tuberculosis (TB) and human rights held in Mombasa, Kenya from 9-10 August 2018 came to a powerful close with a passionate resolution to rethink TB response beyond health care services and towards human rights.
While delivering the key note address, Justice Mumbi Ngugi asserted that an effective TB response must not only align to but indeed be born of human rights. “Human rights must be our true north if we are to win the war – and it is a war – against TB. And win we must. The first part of the work of this meeting must therefore be to continue to define the content of a human rights-based response to TB,” she said.
With renewed vigor, over 30 delegates from 11 countries representing communities and legal, medical, and civil society professionals working in TB response, look forward to implementing a two-year work plan developed to prioritise areas of focus for the next phase of implementing the Nairobi Strategy. “This costed plan of action will fulfill human rights, save lives, and also show funders where they must go to invest to defeat TB,” said Allan Maleche, the Executive Director at KELIN.
As part of the resolutions made at this forum, delegates will be delivering a joint communique to the UN high level meeting on Tuberculosis (UNHLMTB) on Tuesday 14th August 2018. The communique spells out four key demands as follows:
- First, calls for access to TB drugs and diagnoistics through World Trade Organisations’s TRIPS flexibilities for all who need them;
- Second, calls for the establishment of an effective and independent accountability mechanism;
- Third, the full incorporation of human rights language and content in the UN HLM Political Declaration; and
- Fourth, demand for civil society representation amongst plenary speakers at the UN HLM to represent those affected who must drive the TB response.
We invite countries, organizations and individuals to show support for this communiqué here.
To contribute to the discussion and for live updates follow KELIN on our social media platforms: Twitter: @KELINkenya and Facebook: @kelinkenya; using hashtag #TBRights.
The final report from this high-level meeting is available here.
For more information, contact:
Allan Maleche
Executive Director KELIN
Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV & AIDS (KELIN)
4th Floor, Somak Building, Mombasa Road | Tel +254202515790; | Cell +254708389870;
Email: amaleche@kelinkenya.org
Brian Citro
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Assistant Clinical Professor of Law | Bluhm Legal Clinic
375 E. Chicago Ave. | Chicago, IL 60611 | (312) 503-0890
Email: citro@law.northwestern.edu
