Communities Speak Out at the Union World Conference on Lung Health 2025
Today we share what was voiced from the stage of the Union World Conference on Lung Health 2025 — the voice of a community that lives with TB, fights for others, and refuses to let the world look away.
At the Opening Ceremony, TB survivors, people affected by TB, and civil society organizations from every region — Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe — stood together to speak the truth.
The truth about what is happening right now:
People are dying, losing income, facing treatment alone, and unable to access support due to global financial cuts.
When funding disappears — so do lives.
We honored with a minute of silence everyone we have lost — and everyone still fighting. We stood shoulder to shoulder, including in solidarity with countries that could not be present because of conflict, budget cuts, or crisis. The empty spaces on that stage were not symbols. They were people.
Our collective statement to the world was clear:
- When communities are silenced — TB wins.
- The most vulnerable always pay the highest price.
- More than half of children with TB remain undiagnosed and miss out on lifesaving treatment.
- Stigma and discrimination continue to destroy lives.
- Social support — food, transport, even small assistance — saves lives.
- No vaccine or test can work without systems that trust people and include them.
- Funding cuts are not technical decisions. They are political decisions — and they cost lives.
We said:
👉 The world is stepping away from the values of solidarity exactly when they are needed the most.
👉 Global challenges require global responsibility.
If we truly want to end the TB epidemic, we need investments in communities — the first responders, the last-mile workers, the people who hold this response together every single day. Those who cannot afford to lose hope.
At the end, we repeated the words that have become our collective symbol:
“It’s now or never — if you are with us, stand up and show you care.”
This was not just a statement. It was a moment when our shared truth echoed across the world. And we will keep speaking — until every person, every child, every family receives dignity, protection, and a real chance at life.