Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed country delegates and partners in the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases, a good morning to you all.
This gathering of our South-East Asia Region’s NTD Partnership Forum is a crucial one, and I address you with a deep sense of responsibility.
We know that NTDs inflict immense suffering on millions of people, particularly in the poorest settings. Our Region is the home of 16 out of 21 NTDs. 833 million people here require intervention for at least one NTD.
NTDs lead to preventable deaths, and significant economic burdens on low- and middle-income countries. They perpetuate cycles of poor education and limited professional opportunities. This happens particularly in impoverished communities, where they disproportionately affect women & children.
Nevertheless, NTDs are preventable and controllable.
As the WHO Regional Director for this Region, I am committed to advancing our collective efforts in combating NTDs. I am also committed to achieving the ambitious targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals. These two are linked.
Efforts to control and eliminate NTDs directly contributes to achievement of SDG 3.3, aimed at ending the epidemics of NTDs.
Also, our efforts positively impact a number of other SDGs, including Goals 6, 9, 11, 13 and 17.
Successful interventions against NTDs also contribute to alleviating poverty and hunger - Goal 1 and 2. They also enable people to pursue an education (Goal 4), lead productive working lives (Goal 8), and promote equity (Goals 5 and 10).
I am heartened by the progress we have made, the number of lives saved, and quality of life improved throughout our Region.
Here are some highlights of these efforts:
- In 2016, India achieved yaws-free status.
- Maldives, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and most recently Bangladesh successfully eliminated LF as a public health problem.
- Nepal and Myanmar have eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, with India on the brink of achieving this.
- Last year, Bangladesh became the first country in the world to be validated for eliminating Kala-azar as a public health problem.
- The elimination target for Kala-azar was achieved in all endemic blocks in India, and 96% of endemic districts in Nepal.
- Maldives became the first country to achieve subnational verification of elimination of leprosy in the Region.
Together, we have reduced the number of people requiring NTDs intervention by 29% between 2010 and 2022.
I would like to extend my sincere congratulations and appreciation to our Member States, donors, partners, and colleagues in our Region for their superb commitment and efforts over the last decade.
Nonetheless, much work remains to be done.
We have many diseases in the last mile of elimination. This demands intensified efforts and innovative approaches.
Also, to sustain these gains, our efforts need to continue in the post-elimination phase. We need to focus on innovation and integration of surveillance and response. We also need to accelerate research and development of new tools and strategies to make even more progress.
NTD programmes in many countries were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are still recovering. The pandemic also severely impacted support from donors and partners. Today financial support is still far less than before the pandemic. This affects activities in countries, hampers meaningful planning, and prevents effective global and regional coordination.
As we gather here today, let us reaffirm our commitment to leaving no one behind in our quest to eradicate, eliminate, and control NTDs.
This requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders, within and beyond health.
Together, we must strengthen the health system and primary health care. We must integrate and scale up interventions. We must enhance surveillance and monitoring systems. And, of course, we must address the social and environmental determinants that perpetuate NTDs.
Our WHO South-East Asia Regional Office, in collaboration with Member States and partner agencies, has developed a Regional Strategic Framework which we will launch today.
This is the ‘Regional Strategic Framework for sustaining, accelerating, and innovating to end NTDs in the South-East Asia Region 2024–2030’.
Endorsed by the 76th Regional Committee Meeting, this framework aims to accelerate implementation of the new Global NTD Road Map 2021–2030 through its Regional adaptation.
It has three strategic priorities:
- strengthening country ownership
- accelerating programmatic actions, and
- intensifying integrated and cross-cutting approaches
The elimination of NTDs will be one more step towards achieving Universal Health Coverage and creating a more equitable world.
Together, we can, and we will, complete this task of eliminating NTDs.
Thank you.