We, the delegates to the Meeting of Partners for TB Control in the South-East Asia Region, and the 11th Meeting of the Stop TB Partnership Coordinating Board in Jakarta, Indonesia,

Having noted with grave concern that

Asia continues to carry the highest burden of tuberculosis among the regions of the world, and that,

Eleven of the 22 countries having the highest numbers of people affected by TB are in Asia, and that,

The Asia-Pacific Region alone is home to nearly nine million people suffering from TB, with Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia and Pakistan accounting for half of the global burden of TB and that,

Tuberculosis claims nearly one million lives in Asia every year with one person dying of the disease every 30 seconds somewhere in the continent. Four out of every five people in Asia affected by TB are men and women in their most productive years,

And acknowledging the fact that,

Tuberculosis disrupts social and economic progress in countries of Asia, stigmatizing individuals and reducing household and national incomes, trapping the poorest and most vulnerable sections of society, in a vicious cycle of disease and poverty,

We affirm that effective tuberculosis control will significantly contribute to improving health and the overall social and economic development in Asia, and

Are encouraged by the remarkable progress that has been made in countries of Asia in providing effective TB control services through the DOTS strategy over the past decade. DOTS success rates of over 85% are being consistently achieved while case detection rates have steadily risen to over 66%, approaching the 70% target in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Since 1995, over 15 million people with TB in Asia have been treated under DOTS, preventing several million deaths from TB.

Access to life-saving tuberculosis services providing high-quality drugs is helping people to regain their health and go back to work and school.

We emphasize that it is critical that this momentum is maintained to reach all TB patients, particularly the poorest and the most vulnerable, and to prevent the emergence of drug resistance.

If we fail to effectively address the epidemic in Asia at this point in time, we will fail in reversing the epidemic globally.

We acknowledge the need to improve the scope, extent and reach of TB services in line with the new Stop TB strategy and commit to support the Global Plan and Regional Plans 2006-2015, and national multi-year plans to stop TB over the next 10 years, in order to achieve the TB targets set under the Millennium Development Goals.

Believing that, together, we can stop TB in Asia,

WE COMMIT OURSELVES to supporting the full implementation of the Regional and country plans to implement quality diagnostic and treatment services to stop TB in Asia, towards reaching the goal of halving TB prevalence and mortality and achieving the Millennium Development Goals in all countries of Asia by 2015,

By,

Ensuring that National TB Control Programmes have the means to identify and cure all persons with TB, - finances, skilled people, quality equipment, drugs and diagnostics to accelerate action against TB in Asia, through our collective will to increase and sustain resources allocated for TB, in line with the Resolution on Sustainable Financing for TB Prevention and Control adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2005

Effectively combating TB/HIV and emerging multi-drug resistance in Asia, promoting and facilitating joint action by TB and HIV programmes to effectively care for those dually affected, including through providing access to antiretroviral therapy to those requiring these, and preventing the emergence of drug resistance through sustaining effective DOTS programmes, while, at the same time, supporting the development and application of internationally recommended best practices for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of drug-resistant TB.

Forging effective international and national partnerships that include ministries, government organizations, the private health sector, industry, nongovernmental organizations, individuals, foundations, academia and particularly communities through advocacy, communication and social mobilization approaches, to ensure that diagnostic and treatment practices that are in accordance with the International Standards for TB care and the Patient's Charter, reach all TB patients in Asia, and

Tapping the existing potential in Asia to promote basic and operational research into innovative interventions for better implementation and more effective utilization of available resources, and contribute to global efforts to develop new tools and enhance manufacturing capacity for drugs, diagnostics and vaccines that will serve as the cornerstones of future TB control.

Recognizing the enormity of the task ahead and the significant magnitude of technical, operational and financial resources that this will entail,

We call upon all national governments, organizations and agencies, and other partners in Asia and around the world to actively support this Call for Action to Stop TB in Asia.