The Global Coalition of TB Advocates (GCTA) is a global platform that bridges the gap between civil society organizations and other stakeholders in the tuberculosis (TB) response. We focus on issue-based advocacy, capacity building, and improved representation in all decision-making of TB affected communities and other marginalized groups.
Since its inception in March 2013, the GCTA has contributed significantly towards ensuring a people centred rights-based response to TB. We do so by ensuring that communities affected by TB are at the centre of all processes, and by championing issues identified by them as priority. We also partner with civil society organizations, communities affected by TB, and health agencies such as World Health Organization, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Unitaid and Stop TB Partnership to further the universal End TB 2030 agenda.
The GCTA has contributed to the global TB agenda through, inter alia, activism for the price reduction of TB technologies, including GeneXpert cartridges, the TB drugs bedaquiline and delamanid, capacity building of TB communities, data collection on community perspectives on the impact of COVID-19 on the TB epidemic, and the publication of a report with 20 recommendations towards activating a human rights response to TB.
A world free of Tuberculosis
To ensure accountability in global TB goals through coalition building, community-led monitoring, advocacy and capacity building
GCTA’s Strategy for 2021-2025 is firmly grounded in its incorporating documents, i.e. to ensure a world free of tuberculosis: zero TB deaths, zero TB disease and zero TB suffering, and led by its overall mission of ensuring the voices of TB affected communities influence the global TB and health agenda. As time progressed through the past strategy, it became evident that GCTA’s voice permeated numerous levels of global decision-making on TB.
GCTA represents community voices by raising issues that are important to TB communities at the global stage, such as TPT, access to all-oral regimens, community-led monitoring and accountability, rights-based TB responses, and health systems strengthening for TB, and ensuring global discourse on these issues reach TB communities regionally and locally.
GCTA’s effectiveness is informed through the strength of its members, i.e., regional and country partners. GCTA pledges to institutionalize periodic sharing sessions with regional and country partners to ensure that all advocacy is informed by relevant local and regional data. GCTA also pledges to improve strategic communications on matters important to TB communities.
Governance issues can be an impediment to effective and impactful representation of TB communities. GCTA will undertake a number of strengthening exercises to eliminate these barriers, including via the strengthening of regional focal points and increasing accountability within.
Capacity building of TB communities remains very much necessary – and arguably GCTAs strategic advantage. GCTA understands, however, that this capacity building must progress with concrete aims in mind and with predetermined foci. As such, GCTA will focus on capacity building in these areas: TB literacy, relevance and application of updated guidelines, and translating domestic and regional results to global advocacy and vice versa.
Blessina Kumar
CEO
Mercy Annapoorani
Board Member
Gaston Bertrand, KAMPOER
Board Chair
Elvi Solita Siahaan
Treasurer, GCTA Board
Zied Mhirsi
Board Member
