HOBBE, UK, Aug 14 (IPS) – The outgoing Executive Director of Uniting to Combat NTDs reflects on a decade at the helm of the global advocacy group dedicated to ending neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Over the past decade, I have had the privilege of witnessing remarkable progress in the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). It has been a journey marked by unwavering commitment, resilience and hope.
This group of 21 diseases affects 1.65 billion people worldwide and can be disabling, disfiguring, and deadly. But despite global obstacles such as the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions due to the conflict in Russia and Ukraine, and severe weather events, our collective efforts to fight NTDs have transformed millions of lives.
It is with deep pride and reflection that I step down from my role as Executive Director of Uniting to Combat NTDs. From the inclusion of NTDs in the health-related Sustainable Development Goals to the endorsement by Heads of State of the continental framework and common African position on NTDs, there are now important global and regional frameworks to guide collective action and efforts.
From world leaders endorsing the historic Kigali Declaration on NTDs at the UN Climate Change Summit in 2022 to the Reaching the Last Mile Forum at the UN Climate Change Summit in 2023, we have seen countries join together with donors, businesses, organizations and civil society to pledge their commitments to end NTDs.
These concrete actions provide a path to a future where NTDs no longer harm the lives of vulnerable people around the world.
The impact we have seen is real and significant: 51 countries have now eliminated at least one NTD.
For example, sleeping sickness has been eliminated as a public health problem in seven countries, with Chad being the latest country to achieve this milestone this year. Lymphatic filariasis has been eliminated in 19 countries, with the Lao People’s Democratic Republic becoming the latest country to eliminate the disease as a public health threat by 2023. And progress has had a ripple effect, with some countries eliminating multiple NTDs.
Togo became the first country in the world to eliminate four NTDs (Guinea worm, lymphatic filariasis, trachoma and sleeping sickness) in 2022, while Benin and Ghana each eliminated three NTDs, receiving recognition at the 2013 ECOWAS Heads of State Summit.
Meanwhile, in 2022 alone, 843 million people were treated for NTDs, thanks to one of the most successful public-private partnerships in global health history, with more than 17 billion NTD medications donated by the pharmaceutical industry between 2012 and 2023.
These successes build on many years of shared experience in NTD prevention, control and eradication efforts.
The human impact of this work is the most important measure of our success. As I look back on this journey, I think of the faces of countless individuals whose lives have been touched by this work.
Children who can now go to school, families who can work and thrive, communities no longer bound by preventable diseases. These stories of change are the heartbeat of our mission and the fuel that drives us forward.
But as we celebrate this incredible milestone, we must also take stock of the important steps needed to ensure that this progress continues. We are at a critical moment in time when we must solidify and expand on the progress we have made.
To do so, NTD programs urgently need sustainable, long-term funding and strengthened political will. One important way to address these needs is to prioritize disease eradication as a flagship initiative for the 21st replenishment of the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA21). IDA21 provides grants and funding to the world’s poorest countries.
This includes establishing a dedicated funding stream for IDA21’s health track, which will ensure continued progress against these diseases and help the World Bank achieve its mission to alleviate poverty, promote economic growth, and improve the living conditions of millions of people on a livable planet.
With only 15% of the Sustainable Development Goals achieved, the urgency to demonstrate large-scale impact has never been greater.
Supporting countries on a path to eliminate NTDs by 2030 and helping 49 countries achieve their elimination goals would be a wise investment in IDA21 and would have real and far-reaching impacts. This is not just a health imperative, it is a moral and economic imperative.
Our journey is not over. The road ahead requires sustained political will, sustained resource mobilization, and unwavering commitment.
We have the knowledge, the tools, the drive. Now is the time to use them and move forward with renewed vigor. Let’s say decades later that we are unwavering in the fight. Let’s say that we have made the world a healthier place, free from the scourge of neglected tropical diseases.
Toko Elphick-Puli He is the outgoing Executive Director of the Coalition to Fight Neglected Tropical Diseases.
© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal Source: Inter Press Service
