KATHMANDU — The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) and World Health Organization (WHO) – Nepal lit two important UNESCO heritage landmarks of Nepal – Patan and Kathmandu Durbar Squares – in red, marking the first ever United Nations High-Level
Meeting (UNHLM) on Tuberculosis (TB), held on 26 September in New York. The initiations will set a pathway for an accelerated and coordinated response to save millions of lives and prevent TB – a commitment towards a world free of the disease by 2030.
Heads of State and Government, TB survivors, affected communities, technical partners, researchers, private sector representatives, and other key stakeholders are attending United Nations High-Level Meeting (UNHLM) on Tuberculosis in New York to put TB in the spotlight and this is the first time TB has been addressed in the UN General Assembly.
“Just money isn’t enough to overcome TB. Individual, and political, an effort is needed”, addressed Dr. Surendra Kumar Yadav, Honorable State Minister of Health, MoHP, Nepal, at the ceremony. The UNHLM on TB, with the theme “United to End Tuberculosis: An Urgent Global Response to a Global Epidemic”, is the biggest opportunity to raise the political priority for TB and is the most significant political meeting on TB which will lead to a political declaration endorsed by the heads of state.
“History has shown that TB is a killer. There were no medicines before. Now there are. We can save countless lives”, said Mahendra Shrestha, Chief, Health Coordination Division, MoHP, Nepal. TB is the 9th leading cause of death globally and is now the leading world’s infectious killer with 1.6 million deaths in 2017 alone, with profound economic and social consequences.
The “Light up the world in RED to end TB” ceremony was inaugurated by dignitaries from MOHP and WHO Country Representative to Nepal. During this historical event for a huge global momentum for ending TB in the world, the two important UNESCO heritage landmarks of Nepal has joined the global cities that have participated in the campaign. Every city is invited to join the global movement and light the city in red to bring the world’s attention to the devastating impact of TB.
Dignitaries from MoHP, technical partners, UN agencies, researchers, private sector representatives, and other key stakeholders attended the lighting ceremony to put TB in the spotlight, and strengthen global momentum to end TB.
“The presence of the dignitaries from the MOHP and partners here today to commemorate this historical UNHLM on TB is a testimony of Nepal’s commitment towards a world free of TB”, stated Dr. Jos Vandelaer, WHO Representative said in his welcome remarks. “Together we can end TB.”
