Global Collaboration for Blood Safety (GCBS)

Recognition of the need for a Global Collaboration for Blood Safety (GCBS) was first endorsed by 41 countries represented during the Paris AIDS Summit in 1994 and adopted by the 48th World Health Assembly as WHA resolution 48.27 (1995), by all 191 WHO Member States prioritising the need for global collaboration to improve blood safety.

Over 1999-2000, the TGA took on a leadership role in furthering collaboration and was pivotal in a series of meetings at WHO which assessed the need for senior health policy makers to set up collaboration in blood safety at various levels. This led to a meeting involving policy makers and scientists in Geneva in March 2000 where the state of the art in blood safety was reviewed and key outcomes were discussed. This fed directly into the setting up of the GCBS in November 2000 with the TGA as a founding member.

The GCBS is a voluntary partnership of internationally recognised organisations, institutions, associations, agencies and experts from developing and developed countries sharing the expertise, identifying problems, seeking solutions and working towards the common goal of global blood safety as equal collaborative partners. The WHO is a member of the GCBS and also provides its secretariat.

The TGA is honoured to be in the GCBS, and is a member of the senior leadership through Dr Albert Farrugia's chair of the Policy Group of the Collaboration. This section includes GCBS work products in various areas of blood safety.