Over 80
countries and organisations in Africa have declared their commitment to ending
the suffering caused by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), a group of diseases
that affect more than one billion people globally, primarily in vulnerable
communities.
The
commitments have been delivered through the endorsement of the Kigali
Declaration on NTDs that marks its third anniversary today. Three years after
its historic launch by Rwanda’s President, H.E. Paul Kagame, the Kigali
Declaration on NTDs has catalysed significant political will across the
continent, cross-sector collaboration, and more than US$1.8 billion in
financial and in-kind support.
Endorsements
have grown substantially, from 57 entities in 2022 when the Kigali Declaration
was launched to 84 today, demonstrating sustained and growing global support at
the highest levels. Country leadership remains central to progress, with new
signatories continuing to join the Declaration. Sudan recently became a
signatory, showcasing their continued political engagement and national
commitment to ending these debilitating diseases.
In Africa, the
impact is particularly severe.
Africa bears
a significant burden of NTDs, with nearly 40% of the global burden originating
from the region. These diseases have a profound impact on health,
education, and economic productivity.
“We can
confidently say this is not where we started, and that’s worth celebrating.
Every decision by a country to endorse the Kigali Declaration represents a step
toward eliminating diseases that continue to devastate lives. What we need now
is concrete, sustained commitment to go further and faster. That’s exactly what
it will take to reach the goal of eliminating NTDs by 2030,”
said Dr.Isatou Touray, Executive Director of Uniting to Combat Neglected
Tropical Diseases.
Yet as the
global community celebrates the progress achieved to date, it is also urgently
working to respond to large-scale cuts to official development assistance (ODA)
that now threaten these achievements.
The
declaration has also seen sustained commitment from the pharmaceutical
industry, committing more than 28 billion units of medicine to prevent and
treat NTDs through 2030. Notable recent milestones include Merck's delivery of
its five billionth donated dose of Mectizan, GSK distributing its 12 billionth
donated dose of albendazole, and Novartis nearly doubling its investment in
research and development for NTD treatments.
Additionally,
the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP)
announced a €46 million fund dedicated to NTD research earlier this year.
To ensure
transparency and accountability, the Kigali Declaration Commitment Tracker, (the
world’s only publicly accessible online financing tracker dedicated to NTDs) continues
to serve as a critical tool. It enables stakeholders to monitor progress, track
funding, and inspire additional investments essential for sustaining momentum
toward the 2030 targets.
While the
global community celebrates these achievements, recent developments in the
global financial landscape pose severe challenges. Major cuts in
ODA—particularly from key donors such as the United States—have severely
impacted funding available for delivering vital medicines. Without immediate
intervention, more than a million donated drugs are at risk of expiration
during the next nine months, potentially leaving millions of vulnerable people
untreated.
This threat
comes even as recent global health successes underscore the effectiveness and
critical importance of sustained NTD investment. At the recent World Health
Assembly, two additional countries—Mauritania and Papua New Guinea—were
celebrated for successfully eliminating trachoma, a significant achievement
under challenging conditions. These announcements bring the number of countries
that have eliminated at least one NTD to 56, with eleven countries having
eliminated an NTD since the start of last year.
As the global
health community marks the anniversary of the Kigali Declaration, there is a
renewed call for recognition that urgent, innovative financing solutions are
needed to sustain the delivery of critical treatments and safeguard the
significant progress achieved so far.
