Hove, United Kingdom — The outgoing Executive Director of Uniting to Combat NTDs reflects on a decade at the helm of a global advocacy organisation dedicated to ending neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
Over the last ten years, I have been privileged to witness incredible progress in the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) - a journey marked by unwavering dedication, resilience, and hope.
This group of twenty-one diseases affects 1.65 billion people around the world and can disable, disfigure, and be fatal. But despite significant global obstacles, including the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions due to the conflict in Russia and the Ukraine, and severe weather events, our collective efforts fighting NTDs have transformed the lives of millions.
As I step down from my role as Executive Director of Uniting to Combat NTDs, I am filled with a profound sense of pride and reflection. From the inclusion of NTDs in the health-related Sustainable Development Goals to the endorsement by Heads of States of the Continental Framework on NTDs and the Common Africa Position, important global and regional frameworks now exist to guide collective action and efforts.
Supporting countries on the pathway to eliminating NTDs by 2030 and helping 49 additional countries achieve elimination goals will be a smart investment for IDA21, delivering tangible and far-reaching impact
From global leaders endorsing the historic Kigali Declaration on NTDs alongside the 26th CHOGM Summit in 2022 to the Reaching the Last Mile Forum held at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Summit in 2023, we have witnessed countries standing shoulder to shoulder with donors, companies, organisations and civil society to pledge commitments to end NTDs.
These concrete actions have illuminated a path toward a future where NTDs no longer wreak havoc on the lives of vulnerable communities around the world.
The impact we have seen is real and substantial. Fifty-one countries have now eliminated at least one NTD.
Sleeping sickness, for instance, has been eliminated as a public health problem in seven countries, with Chad being the latest to achieve this milestone this year. Lymphatic filariasis has been eliminated in nineteen countries, with the Lao People's Democratic Republic becoming the most recent to eliminate the disease as a public health threat in 2023. And progress has had a ripple effect, with some countries eliminating multiple NTDs.
In 2022, Togo became the first country in the world to eliminate four NTDs (guinea worm, lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, and sleeping sickness) while Benin and Ghana have eliminated three NTDs each, leading to recognition at an ECOWAS Heads of State Summit in 2013.
Meanwhile, 843 million people received treatment for an NTD in the year 2022 alone, powered by one of the most successful private public partnerships in the history of global health, with over 17 billion treatments for NTDs donated by the pharmaceutical industry between 2012 and 2023.
These successes have been built on years of shared experiences in NTD prevention, control, and elimination efforts.
The human impact of this work is the most important measure of our success. Reflecting on this journey, I recall the faces of countless individuals whose lives have been touched by this work.
The children who can now attend school, the families who can now work and thrive, the communities that are no longer shackled by preventable diseases. These stories of transformation are the heartbeat of our mission and the fuel that has driven us forward.
Yet, as we celebrate these incredible milestones, we must also take stock of the critical steps needed to ensure this progress continues. We stand at a pivotal moment, where the gains we have made must be solidified and expanded.
To do so, NTD programmes are in desperate need of sustainable, long-term financing and strengthened political commitment. One critical way to respond to this need is to prioritise disease elimination as a flagship initiative for 21st replenishment of the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA21), which provides grants and financing to the world's poorest countries.
This includes establishing a dedicated funding stream under IDA21's Health Track. Doing so would ensure sustained progress against these diseases and will help the World Bank achieve its mandate to alleviate poverty, boost economic growth, and improve living conditions for millions of people on a livable planet.
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With only 15% of the Sustainable Development Goals on track, the urgency to demonstrate impact at scale has never been greater.
Supporting countries on the pathway to eliminating NTDs by 2030 and helping 49 additional countries achieve elimination goals will be a smart investment for IDA21, delivering tangible and far-reaching impact. This is not just a health imperative; it is a moral and economic one.
Our journey is far from over. The path ahead requires sustained political will, continued resource mobilisation, and unwavering commitment.
We have the knowledge, the tools, and the momentum. Now is the time to harness these and push forward with renewed vigor. Let it be said, decades from now, that we did not waver in our fight. Let it be said that we left the world a healthier place, free from the scourge of neglected tropical diseases.
Thoko Elphick-Pooley is the outgoing Executive Director of Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases.
