Western Pacific Regional Green Light Committee: progress and way forward

• The Western Pacific Regional Green Light Committee (rGLC WPR) was established in 2011 to promote scale-up of programmatic management of drug-resistant tuberculosis (PMDT).
• rGLC WPR has generated greater awareness of regional challenges and has encouraged local solutions to regional problems.
• PMDT should be part and parcel of routine TB programme activity.
• Challenges and bottlenecks have varied according to the different stages of PMDT implementation, requiring different types of technical assistance.
• Regional initiatives should be dynamic and responsive to the needs of countries.

SummaryThe Western Pacific Regional Green Light Committee (rGLC WPR) was established in 2011 to promote the rational scale-up of programmatic management of drug-resistant tuberculosis (PMDT). We reflect on its achievements, consider the challenges faced, and explore its potential future role. Achievements include the supervision and support of national PMDT action plans, increased local ownership, contextualized guidance, and a strong focus on regional capacity building, as well as a greater awareness of regional challenges. Future rGLC activities should include (1) advocacy for high-level political commitment; (2) monitoring, evaluation, and supervision; (3) technical support and contextualized guidance; and (4) training, capacity building, and operational research. Regional activities require close collaboration with both national and global efforts, and should be an important component of the new Global Drug-resistant TB Initiative.