Geneva, Switzerland – [22nd May 2025] – In a powerful demonstration of country-driven leadership and cross-border solidarity, Ministry of Health representatives from various African countries yesterday committed to work together across borders to eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). 

At a side event held on the margins of the 78th World Health Assembly on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, the ministers united to sign a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis (VL), one of the deadliest NTDs. They also endorsed a Call for Action to inspire cross-border collaboration and accelerate progress towards global disease elimination targets.

These historic commitments build upon significant advances in the fight against NTDs across Africa. As of May 2025, 56 countries have eliminated at least one NTD globally, including Togo (four NTDs) and Benin, Ghana and India (three NTDs). Several other countries have achieved this target for one or two NTDs: Niger was verified in January 2025 for being free of onchocerciasis and Chad eliminated gambiense human African trypanosomiasis in 2024.

In his opening statement Dr Ibrahima Socé Fall, Director of the WHO Global Neglected Tropical Diseases Programme, highlighted the progress made towards the targets set in the NTD road map 2021−2030:  “As the global community reaches the half-way point towards the road map targets and almost one year after we launched a strategic framework for the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis, the critical role of country-led efforts and cross-border collaboration in accelerating elimination cannot be over emphasized”.

Strengthening efforts to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis in eastern Africa

Of all the NTDs, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is among the deadliest and outbreak-prone diseases and is endemic in all six WHO regions, with 74% of its global burden in the eastern African epidemiological subregion. Half of the cases occur in children aged under 15 years. Also known as kala-azar, VL is a lethal parasitic disease that causes fever, weight loss, spleen and liver enlargement, and — if untreated — death. 

Now, seven nations heavily burdened by VL – Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda – have joined forces to meet this challenge head-on. Under the leadership of the African Union Commission, they signed the groundbreaking MoU, committing to invest resources, develop effective policies and collaborate closely to achieve the ambitious targets outlined in the VL strategic framework launched in June 2024.

“In these times of unprecedented challenges to global health and multilateralism, the historic commitment made today is not only crucial—it is truly inspiring. It is a powerful demonstration of country-driven leadership and cross-border solidarity,” said H.E Amb. Amma Twum-Amoah, African Union’s Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development. 

Accelerating elimination of NTDs through cross-border collaboration

Like VL, many NTDs are vector-borne or waterborne, making them easily transmissible across geographical boundaries. The movement of people and animals can further facilitate this spread. Transmission of NTDs across international borders remains a barrier to achieving national elimination goals and accelerating progress towards the road map targets.

This was the focus of the second significant moment of the event in which a Call for Action on NTD cross-border collaboration was issued by the Ministers of Health of Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria, inviting countries to share experiences in developing collaboration agreements and work plans and urging greater collective action. 

To address this challenge, Member States are encouraged to coordinate efforts and endorse joint MoUs for planning and implementing synchronized interventions, surveillance and data-sharing across borders. Regional and multilateral agencies, along with international development partners, are encouraged to advocate for increased financing, provide technical and financial support, enhance data systems and foster innovation to strengthen cross-border initiatives towards elimination of all NTDs.

Climate change presents a growing challenge for post-elimination efforts of vector-borne NTDs, as rising temperatures and extreme weather events create favourable conditions for the transmission of infections across borders and the emergence or re-emergence of diseases.

Strong, efficient and proactive cross-border coordination is therefore critical to monitor and halt the transmission of NTDs in endemic areas across borders, and support countries in their efforts to confirm that NTD elimination is achieved and maintained with effective post-elimination surveillance. 

Towards an NTD-free world

This crucial side event underscored that while individual country successes are vital, the interconnected nature of NTD transmission necessitates robust cross-border approaches, particularly in the face of challenges like climate change. The commitment of these nine East African nations to tackle VL head-on through unified action serves as a powerful model for accelerating the elimination of other devastating NTDs worldwide.

The event, themed “Accelerating NTD elimination through country-driven efforts and cross-border collaboration,” was spearheaded by the African Union Commission and the Global Onchocerciasis Network for Elimination (GONE), WHO and supported by the END Fund and Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). 

“Visceral leishmaniasis patients and their communities urgently need new, improved oral treatments. To reach elimination, we need more medical innovation. The recent successes of South Asian countries, such as Bangladesh, in eliminating kala-azar show that global elimination of this dreadful disease is within our reach, and I would like to commend the inspiring leadership, unity, and commitment shown today by our African partners,” said Dr Luis Pizarro, Executive Director of the non-profit medical research organization Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). 

“Cross-border collaboration is essential for NTD elimination because these diseases don’t recognize borders, and neither should our collective response,” said Dr. Solomon Zewdu, CEO of The END Fund. “What we’re seeing with the visceral leishmaniasis MoU and the Call for Action represents the kind of country-led, coordinated approach that leverages local ownership and maximizes our limited resources. By working together across borders and shared measurement systems, we can eliminate wastage and duplication while accelerating our path toward an NTD-free Africa by 2030.”