Post-2015 development agenda should focus on accelerating progress made against HIV, TB, malaria

"In a little more than two years, the world will hit an important target: the date by which the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] are meant to be achieved," Lucy Chesire, executive director and secretary to the board of the TB ACTION Group, writes in the Huffington Post's "The Big Push" blog. "These eight goals have been a blueprint for action for countries around the world and have focused attention and action on goals like universal primary education, reducing extreme poverty and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, [tuberculosis (TB)], malaria and other diseases," she continues, noting, "Some of the goals have been met. Some are halfway there. Some are nowhere close to being achieved."

"In preparation for the upcoming high-level health meetings, organizations working in the field of HIV, TB and malaria and other MDGs-related issues, are advocating for strong recognition of health and the unmet targets and indicators in the post-2015 development framework," Chesire writes. "One of the key criticisms of the suggestions in the discussions so far has been that the current discussion has been too broad -- the focus has been on 'universal health coverage for all' or 'health for all': an important, but broad concept that needs targets, benchmarks and specific interventions to be successful," she continues, adding, "The development agenda post-2015 should be about accelerating our work to finish the job and eliminate the three diseases. It needs to be an equity agenda that builds on the lessons and successes of the last decade and reaches all those who weren't reached by the Millennium Development Goals" (2/27).