Category: Events

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) were in sharp focus at the 78th World Health Assembly, where global health leaders marked key milestones and deepened commitments to elimination. Merck/MSD celebrated a historic achievement of 5 billion Mectizan treatments donated to combat river blindness and lymphatic filariasis—a powerful testament to decades of sustained public health impact. Meanwhile, the END Fund and the African Union Commission signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate NTD elimination efforts across the continent, aligning with the goals of Agenda 2063 and the Africa Health Strategy.

Additionally, Helen Keller Intl hosted a high-impact side event that brought together health ministers, technical experts, and partners, reinforcing that equity, local leadership, and sustained investment must guide the next chapter of NTD elimination efforts. In another show of regional solidarity, Ministries of Health from across Africa pledged to intensify cross-border collaboration, reaffirming country-driven leadership as essential to ending NTDs.

Dr. Rachel Bronzan, Senior Program Officer with the Gates Foundation, shared updates on RLMF’s evolving role in supporting NTD elimination during the April 17 session on the current global health funding landscape. She was joined by Lungi Okoko (Gates) and Herma Gebru (CIFF). Other partners from WHO-HQ, WHO-AFRO, and the African Union and representatives from Angola, Benin, Ethiopia, and Tanzania were in attendance.

At the 2025 Skoll World Forum’s Marmalade Festival in Oxford, the END Fund hosted a screening of “The Fly Collectors,” an award-winning film showcasing Senegalese volunteers working to eliminate river blindness. The event concluded with a powerful discussion on how collaborative philanthropy is accelerating the fight against NTDs once considered unbeatable.