To mark World TB Day 2026, the Global Coalition of TB Advocates (GCTA), together with our global, regional and country partners, are sharing this statement on behalf of those going through TB and those working in the TB response.

TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, not for lack of solutions, but because systems continue to fail people. Stigma, inequity, and exclusion are at the core of the crisis. It is time for us to come together and stand united.

Read and endorse the full statement:

On this World TB Day, we reaffirm our commitment to a world free of tuberculosis, where no one faces barriers to diagnosis, treatment, dignity, or care. As a global platform bringing together communities, civil society organisations, and partners across countries, we stand in solidarity with people affected by TB and call for a response that is community-led, equitable, and accountable.

Tuberculosis remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, despite being preventable and curable. Beyond the biomedical challenge, TB continues to be driven by stigma, discrimination, and systemic inequities that delay diagnosis, disrupt treatment, and isolate people socially and economically. Stigma is not a side issue; it is a structural barrier that undermines health outcomes and weakens the overall TB response.

Communities must lead the TB response. Yet globally, the space for community participation in policy, financing, and implementation is shrinking. This space must be reclaimed and backed by sustainable, direct funding for community-led organisations, not merely participation in dialogue spaces. Community leadership must be recognised as expertise and resourced accordingly. It is essential to designing effective programmes, ensuring accountability, and building trust between health systems and the people they serve.

As GCTA, we commit to advocating for early and equitable access to diagnostics and treatment for affected communities, free from bureaucratic and implementation barriers. We will continue engaging with country programmes, national leadership, and partners to ensure access translates from policy into practice.

While new diagnostic tools continue to emerge, the challenge is not the absence of innovation, it is the absence of systems that ensure tools reach people. Without strong delivery mechanisms, health system readiness, and community linkages, innovations risk becoming wasted resources rather than life-saving solutions.

We therefore reiterate the importance of strengthening people-centred systems, including peer support, counselling, referral pathways, and community-based service delivery. Peer-led support remains critical in helping people navigate stigma, access care, stay on treatment and must be funded as a core intervention within national TB responses, not treated as an optional add-on.

Ending TB requires political courage, sustained investment, and a people-centred approach that recognises communities as equal partners in the response. A truly people-centred TB response must also include essential social support, such as nutrition assistance, transport support, and income protection, because treatment cannot succeed when individuals are forced to choose between survival and care.

Community Demands

We call on governments, donors, multilateral agencies, national TB programmes, and partners to:

• Reclaim and protect space for meaningful community leadership in TB decision-making and governance.
• Remove bureaucratic and implementation barriers that delay access to diagnostics and treatment.
• Strengthen health systems and delivery mechanisms to ensure existing and new TB tools reach communities effectively.
• Invest in peer support, counselling, and community-led service delivery as core components of the TB response.
• Address TB-related stigma and discrimination through rights-based policies and community-driven action.
• Prioritise people-centred care that integrates clinical, psychosocial, and social support.
• Increase and sustain political and financial commitments to end TB with clear accountability.

The tools to end TB exist. What is needed now is the political will to centre people, empower communities, and build systems that deliver. The time to act is now.