Pact Ensures Presidents’ UN Attendance: Why MPs Signed
Moses Wetangula, the Speaker of the National Assembly, along with 29 other Parliament members hailing from 20 different African nations, have endorsed a political statement urging Presidents, including Kenya’s leader President William Ruto, to participate in an upcoming United Nations gathering.
In July, the Parliament members endorsed the innovative statement during the “Future-proof: Africa TB Summit 2023,” organized by the Global Tuberculosis Caucus. This occurred due to apprehensions about the ongoing intergovernmental discussions regarding tuberculosis in New York.
In a press release on Thursday, the caucus lamented that the “2023 UN High-Level Meeting negotiations are a long way from where they need to be.”
The accident caused the continent to veer off course in its progress toward enhancing the battle against TB.
After adding his signature, Stephen Mule, who is both the Matungulu MP and the leader of Kenya’s National TB Caucus, affirmed that the statement will assist African nations in effectively monitoring their goals for eliminating tuberculosis.
“Globally, TB is the leading infectious cause of death, and Africa carries about a quarter of the total global TB burden. As parliamentarians from Africa, we are glad that we have signed this declaration today, and collectively, we shall be seeking to drive the political will to end TB in our respective countries,” Mule, who also serves as the Regional Co-Chair of Anglophone Africa, stated.
“This Regional Joint declaration will further create a framework that stakeholders in this continent can adopt and utilize as we work collectively to end TB.”
ALSO READ: Ruto Troops Clap Back to Raila’s Warning on US Ambassador
Information from the World Health Organization reveals that over 74 million individuals’ lives have been preserved from tuberculosis on a global scale since the year 2000.
Nevertheless, Africa continues to be heavily affected by tuberculosis, with tuberculosis/HIV co-infection and drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) being prominent contributors to mortality in the region.
“Strong political will is necessary to safeguard and secure stronger policies and strategic planning,” read the statement in part.
The declaration was endorsed by Kenyan Members of Parliament, including Duncan Maina Mathenge, the MP for Nyeri Town, and Martha Wangare, the MP for Gilgil. Both of them are affiliated with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
MPs James Nyikal, representing Seme, Julius Sunkuli, representing Kilgoris, and Joseph Pukose, representing Endebess, were among the individuals mentioned.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), tuberculosis claimed the lives of 1.6 million individuals in the year 2021, which included 187,000 individuals who were also infected with HIV. Within that same year, approximately 10.6 million people became afflicted by this illness.
Tuberculosis (TB) ranks as the thirteenth primary contributor to global mortality and stands as the second most significant infectious cause of death, following Covid-19.
Pact Ensures Presidents’ UN Attendance: Why MPs Signed
