The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), now into its 88th year, provides technical assistance, education and research to promote lung health in low- and middle-income countries. Based in Paris with regional offices in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America, The Union has almost 10,000 members, subscribers from 145 countries. Presided in 2008 by Dr S Bertel Squire, from the United Kingdom, Union current activities focus on tuberculosis control and prevention, HIV, co-infection child lung health, asthma management and tobacco control.

The Union is best known for its research that led to the global strategy for treating and controlling tuberculosis. Adopted by the World Health Organization in 1993, The Union model is part of the internationally recommended Stop TB Strategy. Drawing on this first success of addressing TB from medical, political, social and organisational perspectives, The Union has since developed programmes for the management and treatment of TB-HIV, asthma, pneumonia in children under five years of age, and is now working to control tobacco use, with a particular emphasis on low- and middle-income countries.