COP28: Global donors pledge $777m to defeat neglected tropical diseases in Africa

Global donors pledged Sunday December 3 at the 2023 Reaching the Last Mile Forum, held part of the ongoing COP28 in the UAE, a collective $777.2 million to help control, eliminate, and eradicate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Africa.

The event hosted by Reaching the Last Mile (RLM), the global health initiative driven by the philanthropy of Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, took place on the first ever Health Day.

The pledge is a landmark push to accelerate progress towards achieving the goals outlined in the World Health Organization’s 2030 roadmap on NTDs. To date, 50 countries reportedly have eliminated at least one NTD, and 600 million people no longer require treatment.

Cases of some diseases that have plagued communities for centuries, such as Guinea worm disease and sleeping sickness, are at an all-time low, the Last Mile Forum reports.

The commitments will help finance essential programs and treatments, support new research and innovations, and strengthen frontline health systems and workforces, among other investments.