Courtesy, World Health Organization

Your Excellency Ambassador Jia Gui De, 

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Honourable ministers, dear colleagues and friends, 

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I thank your Excellency for joining us today and delivering a statement on behalf of Her Excellency Professor Peng Li Yuan, First Lady of China. 

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We thank Her Excellency for her leadership and advocacy as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Tuberculosis and HIV-AIDS. 

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On World Tuberculosis Day, we honour the millions of lives lost to tuberculosis, and we stand in solidarity with the people, families and communities who continue to live with this preventable and curable disease. 

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We also pay tribute to health workers on the front lines, to national TB programmes, civil society, advocates, partners and donors. Your dedication is saving lives and sustaining hope. 

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Global efforts to combat tuberculosis have saved an estimated 83 million lives since 2000. 

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Progress has been made in testing, treatment, prevention and research. But progress is not victory. 

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Every single day, nearly 3,500 people die from TB, and close to 30,000 fall ill. 

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TB remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, and a major driver of poverty, inequality and antimicrobial resistance. 

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At the UN General Assembly in 2023, world leaders adopted bold new targets to end TB. 

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Since then, the world has changed dramatically, and funding cuts make it much more difficult to reach those targets. 

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But that doesn’t mean we give up on them. Far from it. It just means we work harder and smarter. 

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WHO is playing a central role in this effort. Over the past year, we have delivered new policies, guidelines and tools to expand access to rapid diagnostics, shorter and fully oral treatment regimens, better care for children, and stronger TB prevention. 

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And through the TB Vaccine Accelerator, we’re supporting countries to prepare for the rapid integration of new TB vaccines into health systems should they succeed in phase three trials. 

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Because tools are useful when they reach the people who need them. 

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The theme of World TB Day 2026 is “Yes! We Can End TB: Led by countries, powered by people”. It is both a call to action and a message of hope. 

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Ending TB is achievable, even in today’s challenging global environment. 

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To get there, we must act on several fronts. 

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First, we must invest in TB care as a smart economic decision. 

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Every dollar invested in TB generates up to 43 dollars in health and economic returns — through stronger economies, healthier workforces and more resilient societies. 

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Second, we must accelerate innovation and scale‑up. Breakthrough diagnostics and treatments must be rolled out rapidly and equitably, including near point‑of‑care tests that can transform early detection. 

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Third, we must put people at the centre of the TB response. TB services must be accessible, affordable, stigma‑free and community‑driven. 

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Civil society and people affected by TB must be partners, not afterthoughts. 

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Every effort to end TB also strengthens health security. And every delay puts lives at risk. 

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WHO will continue to provide global leadership, working with governments, partners and communities to protect hard‑won gains and accelerate progress. 

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Thank you all for your commitment to realising our shared dream – a TB-free world. 

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Led by countries. Powered by people. Yes — we can end TB. 

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I thank you.

Text Courtesy: https://www.who.int/news-room/speeches/item/who-director-general-s-remarks-at-the-world-tb-day-talk-show---18-march-2026