On 29–30 September 2026, the Regional Workshop on Strengthening HIV and Tuberculosis Responses in Central Asia and Eastern Europe took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The workshop brought together Heads of the National TB and HIV Programmes from 12 EECA countries, representatives of WHO Headquarters, the WHO Regional Office and Country Offices, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), major partner organisations, civil society and other stakeholders. The joint workshop aimed to support countries in Central Asia and Eastern Europe in strengthening their TB and HIV responses through the effective implementation of the latest World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, while providing a platform for regional exchange of experiences and lessons learned.
The TB Europe Coalition was represented by Yuliia Kalancha, Executive Director. On the second day of the workshop, Yuliia co-chaired the session “Treatment — shorter, safer regimens & scale-up experience”, which focused on new approaches to TB and HIV treatment and experience in implementing and scaling up these approaches.
The session covered the latest WHO recommendations on the treatment of drug-resistant TB and HIV, including the implications of new recommendations for implementation. Participants also discussed national experience with the rollout of shorter TB treatment regimens, differentiated service delivery in HIV, and the integration of TB and HIV services into primary health care.
The regional workshop also included sessions on screening and diagnosis, including systematic TB screening and updated HIV testing recommendations; simplified, affordable and decentralised testing; TB preventive treatment and HIV prevention, including PrEP and long-acting agents; as well as care for children, adolescents, pregnant and breastfeeding women and other key populations. Country action planning was an important part of the programme, with participants defining priority actions for implementing recommendations on screening, diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
The seminar, organised with the support of the WHO Regional Office for Europe and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), served as a platform for regional dialogue and exchange of experience among EECA countries, international organisations, technical partners and civil society representatives, with the aim of identifying practical solutions and further steps to strengthen TB and HIV responses in the region.
