AFEW International co-signed the letter to the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte. This letter is a request to lead Dutch delegation at the UN High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis that will take place in New York on 26 September 2018.
“The Netherlands is an international leader in the fight against life-threatening epidemics, such as tuberculosis. Dutch companies, universities and social organizations make the difference with their knowledge and expertise in the field of health worldwide. 2018 is the year in which the Netherlands can present itself internationally as a member of the UN Security Council and as a participant in the G20, with global health as its theme. This year, the International AIDS Conference and the International Tuberculosis Conference will also take place in Amsterdam and The Hague.
We hope that he will strengthen this position of the Netherlands internationally by leading the Dutch delegation at the High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 26 September. Tuberculosis is the deadliest infectious disease in the world with 1.7 million deaths per year. Multidrug-resistant forms of tuberculosis are responsible for a large part of the deaths due to antibiotic resistance. The disease is curable. Dutch expertise and research on antibiotic resistance, drug development and diagnostics are of great importance to stop this disease. International agreements and commitments at the High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis will contribute to strengthening Dutch Research and Development for new diagnostics, vaccines and medicines. In addition, the work of Dutch NGOs will contribute significantly to the worldwide achievement of the outcomes of the summit,” written in the letter.
16 Dutch organisations are letting Mark Rutte know that to stop this disease, the political action is needed worldwide. They are asking Prime Minister of the Netherlands to represent the Dutch business community, universities and civil society during the High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis and thus strengthen the leading Dutch role in international health.
