Uniting to Combat NTDs' comment on Gates' Annual letter
From the endorsers of the London Declaration and Uniting to Combat NTDs collective:
We commend the leadership and initiative shown by Bill and Melinda Gates in the field of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) as they envision a future free of at least three debilitating NTDs by 2030. So far only one human disease has been wiped off the face of the earth!
As a collective body of organisations already working together in partnership and committed to drive progress towards ending NTDs, we hope that this call to action on guinea worm, elephantiasis, river blindness, and blinding trachoma, four of the ten London Declaration focus NTDs, will act as a catalyst for donors and other partners to join forces with us. Clear roadmaps for these specific diseases already exist and with increased support, our global targets can be achieved. We hope that this challenge can help us achieve similar progress across all 10 diseases in the Declaration.
Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases urges governments, donors, multilateral organisations and post-2015 Sustainable Development Goal decision makers, to intensify efforts on the remaining areas where most improvement is needed in the final push towards the elimination of these neglected debilitating diseases.
"We think there has never been a better time to accelerate progress and have a big impact around the world." -@Bill Gates & @Melinda Gates
Read the full #GatesLetter -> gates.ly/GatesLetter15
Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases
Established in 2012, Uniting to Combat NTDs is a collective of invested, interested and dedicated group of partners that came together to provide different dimensions of support toward attaining the WHO 2020 goals for 10 NTDs as documented in the London Declaration. The collective work of Uniting to Combat NTDs complements WHO’s direct collaboration with endemic countries and builds on the ongoing work of several disease-specific partnerships.
To find out more about the work of Uniting to Combat NTDs and to learn more about NTDs please go to our website and/or that of our partners:
Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases
Click HERE to read the letter in English. Click ICI to read the letter in French.