Leaders gather to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the London Declaration and kick-off commitments to a high-level political declaration
Ahead of the World NTD Day on January 30, global leaders convened today to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the London Declaration and kick off endorsements to the Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) – a high-level political declaration which aims to mobilise political will and secure commitments to achieve the targets set out in the World Health Organization (WHO) NTD road map 2021-2030 and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target on NTDs.
As per the latest data shared by WHO Global Health Observatory, 752 million people in India require preventative chemotherapy (PC) for at least one of the 5 PC diseases. A total of 2 NTDs (Guinea worm disease & Yaws) have been eliminated from the country in the year 2000 and year 2016. However, 54 per cent of the total population of India is still at a risk of getting affected by at least one of the PC diseases that is more than half of the population are affected by NTDs (Elephantiasis (lymphatic filariasis), River blindness (onchocerciasis), Bilharzia (schistosomiasis), Blinding trachoma, Intestinal worms).
The Kigali Declaration on NTDs will be the successor to the ground-breaking London Declaration on NTDs that was launched in 2012 and expired in 2020. The London Declaration galvanised donor countries, philanthropists, private sector companies, non-governmental organisations, academia and research organisations to come together and commit to prioritising NTDs.
Key successes since the London Declaration include over one billion people reached with treatment for NTDs each year, five years in a row; 35 countries have eliminated at least one NTD bringing the overall total to 43 countries; and 600 million fewer people now require NTD treatments. Preliminary data shows that only 14 cases of Guinea worm disease were reported globally in 2021, representing the lowest case total, since the beginning of the eradication programme in the mid-1980s. This progress proves that ending NTDs is possible, however, there is still more to be done.
The Kigali Declaration aims to protect the gains that have been made, whilst accelerating action by putting country ownership, integration, and cross-sectoral collaboration front and centre. This will ensure the long-term sustainability of these programmes and the achievement of the WHO NTD road map and SDG 3 targets.
Heads of Government supporting the kick-off of the Declaration included the Prime Minister of Rwanda, H.E. Édouard Ngirente; President of Nigeria, H.E. Muhammadu Buhari; President of Tanzania, H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan and Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, James Marape.
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