// ADVOCACY THE END FUND
Ending Neglected Tropical Diseases for stronger communities, health systems and economies
Neglected Tropical Diseases trap over a billion people in cycles of poverty. Integrating care, financing and leadership across sectors is essential to restore dignity and end needless suffering
AN INFLECTION POINT FOR NTD ELIMINATION
productivity and out-of-pocket expenses. 4 Every $1 invested can yield up to $25 in economic returns – through improved workforce participation, women’s health, and stronger health systems. This is not just a health issue. It is a human capital, economic, and global development imperative. To foster a more equitable future, we must target our efforts toward current systems, leaders and tools that will shape the future of NTD elimina- tion. ACTION 1 – INTEGRATE NTD CARE INTO HEALTH SYSTEMS Ending NTDs starts at the community and the primary health level. Integrating services into national systems ensures con- sistency in government budget allocation and greater efficiency, strengthens work- force capacity, surveillance, and outbreak response while expanding health access for vulnerable populations. ■ In Nigeria: Integrating NTD services into primary health care systems has increased access for rural populations, while building a stronger workforce through the training of over 80,000
Solomon Zewdu, CEO, The END Fund A s we pursue a more sustainable and equitable future, we confront a silent crisis: Neglected Tropical Dis- eases (NTDs). These 21 preventable diseases – including infectious ones like dengue, lymphatic filariasis, and leprosy – continue to afflict over one billion people, predom- inantly in the world’s poorest and most marginalised communities. NTDs are defined not only by their biol- ogy, but by neglect itself. That neglect has allowed them to persist where health sys- tems are weakest, and inequality runs deepest. These diseases can lead to lifelong disabilities, disfigurement, and stigma, reducing school attendance and work- force participation, and limiting economic growth. If we are to build strong, secure, inclusive societies in the decade ahead, govern- ments and partners must act decisively. We must integrate NTDs into primary health services, turn global promises into local progress, and – crucially – make the fight to end NTDs everyone’s business, main- streamed across sectors and borders.
Historic progress shows us what’s possi- ble: 58 countries 1 have eliminated at least one NTD, and in 2023 over 860 million people received life-changing treatment. 2 Yet today, our hard-won momentum is fal- tering. Global funding cuts and increasing priorities from traditional donors have left elimination efforts further under-re- sourced. The shocks of COVID-19 exposed the link between public health and economic stabil- ity. Today, more than 70% of World Health Organization (WHO) country offices report service disruptions comparable to those experienced during the pandemic. 3 Nearly 50 major treatment campaigns in 2025 have been delayed, putting 143 million people at renewed risk. Climate change, conflict, and internal displacement are making the fight against NTDs harder and contributing to these diseases spreading to new areas. And yet, eliminating NTDs remains one of the smartest, most cost-effective, high-impact investments we can make in human health and development. NTDs cost an estimated $33 billion annually in lost
120 // G20 SOUTH AFRICA: THE JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT 2025
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