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The Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV & AIDS (KELIN), TB Europe Coalition (TBEC) and Center for Global Health Policy & Politics (GHPP) at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law and the Georgetown University School of Health, are pleased to announce the launch of the Community-Driven Approaches for Transformative Change to Combat Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (COMBAT DR TB) Project. This three-year, global South-led project, funded by Unitaid, aims to transform the drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) response, building on the power of civil society- and community-driven demand and biomedical advances to reduce DR-TB morbidity and mortality, particularly among key and vulnerable populations in low- and middle income countries with high burdens of TB (Kenya), DR-TB (Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Zimbabwe), TB/HIV (Kenya, Moldova, Ukraine, Zimbabwe), and TB, TB/HIV and DR-TB (Nigeria), with national/regional/global (N/R/G)-level impact. The goal is to leverage community responses to radically transform the global response to DR-TB, prioritizing people-centered care, accountability, and equitable access to lifesaving treatment. The project is premised on the fact that, despite recent biomedical advances — including WHO-recommended shorter all-oral regimens with over 90% cure rates — access to optimal DR-TB treatments remains limited. In 2023, only 23% of people with DR-TB received the WHO-recommended treatment regimens, while stigma, poor care quality, and lack of community awareness continue to hinder treatment success. The project, coordinated by KELIN, will be implemented in three African Countries: Kenya (KELIN, Network of TB Champions), Zimbabwe (Jointed Hands Welfare Organisation), and Nigeria (TB Network Nigeria), as well as in three Eastern European, Central Asia (EECA) Countries coordinated by TB Europe Coalition (TBEC): Moldova (SMIT), Tajikistan (STP Tajikistan, KNCV Tajikistan), and Ukraine (TBPeopleUkraine). Global interventions will be led by the O’Neill Institute’s Center for Global Health Policy & Politics (Georgetown University) with additional support and coordination from the Global TB Community Advisory Board (TB CAB). The Project focuses on four pillars: enabling policy ecosystems for access to DR-TB tools, strengthening community advocacy, implementing accountability frameworks, and scaling community-driven approaches. It aligns with the End TB Strategy, the 2023 UN HLM targets on TB, and Universal Health Coverage. COMBAT DR-TB partners will work closely with governments, national TB programs, and communities to ensure that new treatments are available, affordable, and delivered in a way that respects the rights and needs of people living with DR-TB. This project builds on the partners long experience promoting legal literacy and using the law to advance the right to health in their respective countries and globally. It aligns with Unitaid’s strategy of funding innovative interventions that can be scaled up by countries and partners. This project signals a renewed commitment to placing communities at the centre of global health responses. “This project is a game-changer. It launches at a time when community interventions had suffered a setback due to reductions in funding. The project will provide the much-needed lifeline and revitalise community leadership and actions in the TB response. With better treatments now available, it is unacceptable that so many are still dying from drug-resistant TB. The COMBAT DR-TB Project will demonstrate that considerable gains can be made with community-driven approaches.” Allan Maleche, Executive Director, KELIN. This investment is part of Unitaid’s broader strategy to accelerate access to innovations that improve TB prevention, treatment, and care in low- and middle-income countries. Unitaid’s support for community-driven solutions helps close policy gaps, reduce inequalities, and bring quality care closer to those most in need. “For many people with drug-resistant TB, diagnosis and treatment remain logistically, financially, and medically burdensome,” said Dr. Philippe Duneton, Executive Director at Unitaid. “Combat DR-TB seeks to address these challenges by harnessing community groups to support treatment adherence, expand coverage, and improve outcomes.”