On 4 November 2026, the TB Europe Coalition held an online meeting entitled “Exploring New Opportunities for Civil Society Action”, bringing together around 60 representatives of civil society organisations, communities, activists, members of the TBEC Board and Secretariat, as well as partner organisations and other stakeholders from the WHO European Region.
The meeting focused on expanding civil society engagement in applied social science research on TB and DR-TB.
Yuliya Chorna, Co-Chair of the TBEC Board, provided an overview of social science research in TB, explaining how participation in research can strengthen the voice of civil society, open up new funding opportunities and foster partnerships with academic institutions. Particular attention was given to the potential of community-driven participatory research and the competencies required to conduct applied social science research.
Oxana Rucsineanu, TBEC Board member, complemented the presentation with practical comments, including on the skills needed and opportunities for developing research collaboration.
In the next thematic session, Daniel Kashnitsky, TBEC Board member, presented practical examples of community and civil society organisation engagement in social science research and collaboration with academic institutions, focusing on approaches to working with research partners.
Lesia Tonkonoh, TBEC Programme Manager, complemented the discussion by addressing how research findings can be used to strengthen advocacy, build an evidence base and improve services. She also shared TBEC’s experience in publishing the results of assessments and research in academic journals.
A separate part of the meeting focused on practical steps for developing collaboration between civil society organisations and academic institutions. Bakyt Myrzaliev, TBEC Board member, presented approaches to identifying research partners, formulating research questions and defining roles among participants in joint initiatives.
Jonathan Stillo, Vice-Chair of the TBEC Board, provided practical comments on possible areas for collaboration and potential topics for future research.
The open discussions, moderated by Paul Sommerfeld, Chair of the TBEC Board, provided an opportunity for participants to exchange experiences and ideas and discuss current needs and prospects for community and civil society organisation engagement in research.
The meeting also addressed opportunities for TBEC members to take an active part in the Coalition’s strategic governance and in shaping its future priorities. Yuliia Kalancha, TBEC Executive Director, provided information on the elections of the new TBEC Board, the key eligibility criteria for candidates and the election timeline.
Particular attention was given to the professional development and leadership opportunities that Board membership offers to civil society representatives, as well as the importance of TBEC members’ active involvement in nominating candidates and shaping the Coalition’s future strategic directions.
Nominations for the new TBEC Board are open until 4 December 2026. More information about the elections and candidate eligibility criteria is available here.
TBEC would like to thank all speakers for their insightful contributions and practical recommendations, the meeting moderator for creating a space for open and productive dialogue, and all participants for their active engagement and exchange of experiences.
If you missed the meeting, you can watch the recording in English (subtitles and automatic translation into Russian are available) here.
We hope that this event will serve as a starting point for new research initiatives, partnerships and opportunities for more active civil society engagement in shaping the regional response to TB and DR-TB.
The online meeting was organised by TBEC within the framework of the COMBAT DR-TB project, with financial support from Unitaid.
