Today in New York, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Mr. Jorge Sampaio, former President of Portugal, as the first UN Special Envoy to Stop Tuberculosis. Mr. Sampaio will work with the World Health Organization and the Stop TB Partnership, "to encourage world leaders to strengthen their commitment to TB control, and to work to reach the Millennium Development Goal of halting and beginning to reverse the incidence of the disease by 2015."
The complete statement from Spokesman for the Secretary-General:
Secretary-General appoints former President Jorge Sampaio of Portugal as first Special Envoy to Stop TB
The Secretary-General has appointed Mr. Jorge Sampaio, the former President of Portugal, as his first Special Envoy to Stop Tuberculosis. Mr. Sampaio, whose appointment is effective today, will work to build heightened awareness of this leading killer of our time. His immediate task will be to encourage world leaders to strengthen their commitment to TB control, and to work to reach the Millennium Development Goal of halting and beginning to reverse the incidence of the disease by 2015.
Some 5,000 people die of tuberculosis every day, and more than eight million new cases are detected annually. Mr. Sampaio will lead the call for countries to fully fund and implement the Global Plan to Stop TB 2006-20015, which was launched earlier this year. The Plan sets out actions required to treat and cure 50 million TB patients, and save 14 million lives. Mr. Sampaio will work closely with the Stop TB Partnership and the WHO in carrying out this crucial mission for global health.