The TB Europe Coalition (TBEC) is an advocacy network that brings together civil society representatives (individuals and organisations) from across the WHO European Region; in order to strengthen the role of civil society within the regional response to tuberculosis (TB), and to increase the political and financial commitment required to effectively control the epidemic in region. TBEC was formed by a group of TB advocates in 2009. They identified a need to capacitate and bring together civil society in order to address two major concerns: high-rates of drug resistance, coupled with low awareness among general populations and policy-makers about this problem. This was especially due to a scarcity of civil society stakeholders working on TB in the region, despite their important role within an effective response, with few capable of advocating for TB at national or regional level. TBEC addresses this by providing a coordinating body that brings together civil society stakeholders across the region, disseminates high-quality information and resources, promotes collaboration and best practice, and aims to build the advocacy capacity of civil society stakeholders working to control TB.
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The TB Europe Coalition (TBEC) is an advocacy network that brings together civil society representatives (individuals and organisations) from across the WHO European Region; in order to strengthen the role of civil society within the region response to tuberculosis (TB), and to increase the political and financial commitment required to effectively control the epidemic in the region.
The year 2016 is another critical year for the fight against tuberculosis (TB) in Europe. The latest evidence continues to affirm that the fight against TB, and particularly drug-resistant TB, is far from won in the region and sustained community advocacy, capacity building, and high-level advocacy are needed to achieve this goal.

Main specific objectives of the programme:
1) Increase understanding of the civil society contribution to the TB response;
2) By the end of 2016, maintain and strengthen the TBEC website as a regional platform serving 375 civil society stakeholders working within the TB response;
3) Provide access to TBEC support and representation to civil society stakeholders in at least 75% of countries within the Region by the end of 2016;
4) Strengthen the voice of civil society in all accessible EU and regional forums/ consultations throughout 2016;
5) Manage TBEC’s governance and internal processes for the successfully implementation of this work programme throughout 2016;

These objectives will be achieved via the delivery of key outputs:
- Map civil society stakeholders across the WHO European Region
- Facilitate access to information and resources for capacity building for target groups
- Conduct outreach to civil society across the region with the aim of expanding the network and building relationships with target groups
- Engage with decision-makers on behalf of civil society across the region
- Manage the network effectively to implement the three-year work programme





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The TB Europe Coalition (TBEC) is an advocacy network that brings together civil society representatives (individuals and organisations) from across the WHO European Region; in order to strengthen the role of civil society within the region response to tuberculosis (TB), and to increase the political and financial commitment required to effectively control the epidemic in the region.
The year 2017 is the 3rd year of the FPA and another critical year for the fight against tuberculosis (TB) in Europe. The latest evidence continues to affirm that the fight against TB, and particularly drug-resistant TB, is far from won in the region and sustained community advocacy, capacity building, and high-level advocacy are needed to achieve this goal.

Main specific objectives of the programme:
1) Increase understanding of the civil society contribution to TB response across 80% of the Region by the end of 2017;
2) By the end of 2017, maintain and strengthen the TBEC website as a regional platform serving 400 civil society stakeholders working within the TB response;
3) Provide access to TBEC support and representation to civil society stakeholders in at least 80% of countries within the Region by the end of 2017;
4) Strengthen the voice of civil society in all accessible EU, regional and international forums/consultations throughout 2017;
5) Manage TBEC’s governance and internal processes for the successful implementation of this work programme throughout 2017.

These objectives will be achieved via the delivery of key outputs:
- Mapping civil society stakeholders across the region;
- Facilitate access to information and resources for target groups;
- Conduct outreach to civil society across the region with the aim of expanding the network and building relationships with target groups;
- Engage with decision-makers to advocate on behalf of civil society across the region;
- Manage the network effectively to implement the three-year work programme.

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TB Europe Coalition (TBEC) is the only regional civil society network working exclusively on TB in the WHO Europe region and, with 171 members in 35 WHO Europe countries, is uniquely positioned to increase the political will needed to end the TB epidemic across the region by strengthening the coordinated response of civil society.
According to the latest figures released by the WHO in the Global Tuberculosis Report 2017, TB continues to be the world’s leading infectious killer, resulting in 10.4 million new infections globally - 600, 000 of which were drug resistant. Unfortunately, the WHO Europe region continues to lead in two key areas of concern - drug resistant TB and TB/HIV co-infection. Nevertheless, TB has maintained a low profile on the regional - and global - political agenda, failing to receive the attention and resources it deserves. 2018 provides unprecedented political opportunities to advance the fight against the epidemic, such as the first ever UN High Level Meeting on Tuberculosis, which could trigger a dramatic shift in the global and European response. A strong, engaged and coordinated civil society will be key to guarantee these opportunities are not missed.
TBEC has identified health system financing, people-centred TB policy, and TB R&D as the key thematic priorities in the region for the next three years.
TBEC has identified four key objectives for 2018 work plan: 1) well-structured TBEC governance and accountability mechanisms; 2) robust processes for communication and external outreach, including one-to-one engagement; 3) strong partnerships with key decision makers, influencers and civil society in interdependent policy areas, in particular TBEC priority thematic areas; and 4) identification of skill gaps and knowledge needs amongst TBEC members, specifically with focus on best practices, as well as opportunities for training programme in 2019.

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The “Joint Action on integrating prevention, testing and link to care strategies across HIV, Viral Hepatitis, TB & STIs in Europe” (INTEGRATE) has the overall objective to increase Integrated early diagnosis and linkage to prevention and care of HIV, viral hepatitis, TB and STIs in EU Member States by 2020.
A number of tools have been developed to reduce transmission, optimize early diagnosis and linkage to care for one or more of these four diseases. INTEGRATE will map relevant existing tools for cross-linking. A peer-review process will identify which of these tools are complimentary or redundant for other disease(s), and which could be adapted or require further innovation.
HIV, viral hepatitis, TB and STIs are cross-borders public health threats of concern to Europe that affect vulnerable populations disproportionately and require personalised interventions. As multiple dimensional approaches are required to reduce the public health burden, the most optimal profile of approaches that provide additive effects (and that are reasonably cost-effective) should be identified and implemented broadly.
INTEGRATE provides a platform to disseminate and exchange best practice among Member States and facilitate discussions on innovations and emerging issues within the four diseases. In this respect, INTEGRATE is a shared European effort that extends beyond the partners and can create important synergies across European stakeholders, projects and initiatives.
INTEGRATE supports the implementation of the Commission Communication on ‘Combating HIV/AIDS in the European Union and neighboring countries’ and the ‘Action Plan on HIV/AIDS in the EU and neighboring countries’ by ensuring better preparedness across the EU and by identifying innovative evidence-based testing and prevention tools to reduce new cases of HIV, viral hepatitis, TB and STIs in priority groups.
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