The 2021–2030 road map for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) was launched in January 2021 after extensive consultation with countries, partners and the wider NTD community. The document was released at a turbulent time for the global health community: COVID-19 was on its way to becoming a global pandemic and stakeholders were having to adapt to that emergency as well as to the effects of other global health crises (climate change, conflict and changing political landscapes) on established and carefully considered plans.
The road map sets out ambitious targets, proposes mechanisms for aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals and other critical global agendas, and calls for several strategic shifts in the way NTD actors operate. Two years have now passed since the road map’s launch, and it is critical that we take time to pause and reflect as a community on progress towards:
- the overarching global targets for 2030;
- the cross-cutting targets for 2030;
- the disease-specific targets for 2030;
- the extent to which we are implementing the road map’s strategic shifts.
The WHO Global NTD Programme is also taking time to evaluate its role in delivering the road map’s key objectives, putting in place a transparent functional review process. The proposed meeting will provide an opportunity for the WHO Global NTD Programme to share its reflections with the wider NTD community, to describe how it plans to carry out any recommendations resulting from the review, and to engage with the community in broader reflection on the progress areas outlined above.
Meeting participants/audience
The meeting will include representatives of the global NTD community, from countries and donors to implementing and technical partners, from academia to patients’ associations and all other entities and institutions involved in the fight against NTDs.
Meeting objectives
The objectives of the meeting are to generate a better understanding of global NTD operations from both disease-specific and cross-cutting perspectives, and to engage in wide-ranging discussions around the vision for One WHO delivering on one Global NTD Programme.
The meeting will focus on:
- reviewing current progress to achieving the 2030 targets;
- identifying the major gaps and challenges to reaching those targets;
- agreeing principles and practical steps for how to implement action towards the targets;
- galvanizing support and commitment from NTD partners to operationalize the shifts advocated in the road map and to achieve its targets; and
- planning together for a Global Action Plan 2025–2030.
The meeting will discuss and agree principles and practical steps for key implementation and strategy areas to inform the production of a Global Action Plan to guide implementation for 2025–2030.
There will necessarily be a certain amount of technical discussion; however, the main purpose of this meeting is to examine high-level themes rather than the minutiae of individual programmes and diseases.
Attendance
Participation in the Global NTD Programme Partners’ Meeting is by invitation only. The meeting will be hybrid, involving both in-person and remote attendees, and interactive to allow feedback from all participants.