2025: A year in review

January

• World NTD Day 2025: Thank you to all who commemorated World NTD Day 2025 this year. Seeing partners post about the remarkable global progress made to date was an important reminder of the incredible impact and return on investment in the fight to end NTDs.
• World NTD Day Exhibition: And thank you to those who attended the WNTDD exhibition, in partnership with Uniting, TIBA, the University of Edinburgh, and the Royal Society of Edinburgh, that featured the lived experiences of people affected by NTDs.

• Uniting to Combat NTD’s Executive Director, Dr Isatou Touray, also featured in Devex: with her opinion piece: Why 2025 is a tipping point for NTDs
• New signatories signed the Kigali Declaration: We were delighted to announce three new endorsements of the Kigali Declaration on NTDs from Vestergaard, the country of Sudan and The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnerships (EDCTP3). Read more

February

• Uniting and AUDA-NEPAD Strengthen Partnership to End Neglected Tropical Diseases in Africa: In February, Uniting met with AUDA-NEPAD at the Artificial Intelligence, Science, Technology & Innovation Day during the African Union (AU) Summit in Ethiopia, to strengthen their collaboration in the fight against NTDs. Read more
• Uniting Advocates for Domestic Resource Mobilisation at ECSA Health Ministers’ Conference: The Uniting team, plus Dr. Winnie Mpanju-Shumbusho, our Board Chair, participated in the 74th East, Central, and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) Health Ministers’ Conference in Malawi, advocating for increased domestic investment in NTD elimination. Read more

March

• Uniting advocacy in Japan: Senior representatives from Uniting engaged in high-level discussions in Japan to strengthen collaboration on global health priorities ahead of the upcoming Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9). 
• Uniting published a statement: in support of US Government funded NTD programmes.
• Uniting’s 2023/24 partner survey results: Thanks again to those who completed our annual partners survey. We were delighted that the results showed how 82% of respondents agreed to this statement: “Uniting is perceived to be adding value to achieving the 2030 goals of the NTD road map and SDG 3.”
• Progressing the AUDA-NEPAD partnership: In March, Uniting developed and circulated Country Selection Criteria in consultation with AUDA-NEPAD for an African Development Bank (AfDB) proposal, and reached an agreement with AUDA’s Integrated Vector Management Team to co-create a project to address the climate change impact of NTD vector borne diseases.

April

• Progress in advancing sustainable funding solutions: In April Uniting proudly partnered with Tanzania's NTD programme and Ministry of Health and partook in discussions aimed at advancing sustainable domestic and innovative financing for NTD elimination. We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Hon. Jenista Mhagama, Tanzania’s Minister of Health, in Dec of this year. Read our full statement.
• Uniting participated in the WHO AFRO/ESPEN meeting in Lomé, Togo: Innovating for Impact: African Leaders Chart Course for NTD Elimination in Lomé. This meeting also facilitated engagement with Kigali Declaration endorsing countries and the NTD Commitment Tracker.
• G7 advocacy letter on NTDs: Uniting supported the Canadian NTD Network with its advocacy for the Canadian hosted G7 summit.

May

• Progress advancing sustainable funding solutions continued in May: as the Uniting team also participated in the Annual NTD Experts Meeting for African Union Member States in Cotonou, Benin: Financing the Future of NTD Elimination: Reflections from Cotonou.
• Uniting at WHA78: In May, the Uniting participated in WHA78. Read our full summary on high-level engagements, significant new commitments, and critical discussions on inclusive health and climate resilience.

Other key NTD outcomes and news from WHA78:

• Uniting congratulated Professor Mohamed Yakub Janabi on his appointment as the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa.

With Dr Isatou Touray, Executive Director of Uniting to Combat NTDs, remarking:

“Professor Janabi’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Africa’s health landscape. His commitment to strengthening primary health care and addressing communicable and non-communicable diseases aligns with our mission to end the neglect and eliminate neglected tropical diseases.

"Professor Janabi’s platform centred on transforming healthcare through innovative financing models and stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors. This kind of forward-looking approach is especially needed within the NTD sector today.

“Prof Janabi’s holistic approach, from addressing climate-health risks to tackling gender inequities and strengthening community health systems, resonates with the integrated, equity-focused strategies we need to beat NTDs.”

“We look forward to collaborating closely with Prof Janabi to accelerate progress towards a healthier, NTD-free Africa for all.”

• Uniting also joined the celebrations as WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced what he called a “golden age of disease elimination,” spotlighting historic progress in the fight against NTDs.
• Uniting were proud to see our Board Chair, Dr. Winnie Mpanju-Shumbusho, co-chair the launch of the first Lancet Commission on Disability and Health.
• It was great to witness nine Eastern African countries come together and sign an agreement to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis.
• Additionally, Dr. Touray met with the President of Global Health at Novartis, Dr Lutz Hegemann, who announced that Novartis was set to double drug donations for NTDs and malaria as global NTD drug commitments reach 28 billion units.

June

• Uniting hosted a high-level session on sustainable NTD elimination at the EDCTP Forum in Kigali: The session convened ministers of health, global researchers, donors, and frontline health workers to celebrate recent milestones in NTD elimination, and to renew calls for continued investment in research and development.
• Uniting participated in The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development: The conference marked a pivotal moment for global efforts to reshape development finance, and this year's event concluded with the adoption of the Seville Platform for Action, a document containing more than 130 initiatives aimed at tackling global financing challenges.
• Uniting hosted the first meeting of Global NTDs Caucus of MPs: The first meeting had representation from Uganda, Burundi, Cameroon, Tanzania, DRC, Ghana and South Sudan. We also had interest from Canadian and UK parliamentarians.

July

• Progressing the AUDA-NEPAD partnership: Uniting attended a Proposal Development Workshop, which brought together representatives from seven African countries, alongside AUDA-NEPAD, AfDB, and Reaching the Last Mile Fund. The workshop's goal was to create a competitive regional proposal to accelerate the elimination of lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis.
• Uniting also launched a Storymap: Catalysing change: Uniting's strategic advocacy for disease elimination, showcasing our partnership with AUDA-NEPAD and the key steps in our strategic advocacy approach.
• Key Kigali Declaration & Commitment Tracker moments: Ethiopia added commitments of $2.8 million to the Commitment Tracker. Further to this, the President of Liberia, His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr, has also officially endorsed the Kigali Declaration. These contributions, along with substantial new funding from EDCTP3, have increased the Commitment Tracker’s total from $1.8 billion to $1.9 billion.

August

• IDA21: In August, Uniting launched a new practical toolkit to help countries secure funding from the 21st replenishment cycle of the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA21). To launch and socialise the toolkit, Uniting hosted a webinar with notable speakers, including Dr Landry Dongmo Tsague, director of the Primary Health Centre at Africa CDC and Joy Phumaphi, Executive Secretary of African Leaders Malaria Alliance and former Vice President for Human Development at the World Bank.
• Additionally, Uniting supported an op-ed highlighting the fund: from The Hon. Jenista Mhagama, Tanzania’s Minister of Health, and Uniting’s CEO, Dr Isatou Touray: Innovative financing can beat Africa’s NTDs.
• Tanzania media tour and key relationship building: Uniting also worked alongside the Tanzanian Government and Sightsavers to host a media tour in Tanzania, with the aim to turn seven high-calibre African journalists into advocates for NTD elimination. This resulted in coverage that has a potential reach of more than 40 million views (see the full publication report here).
• TICAD9 side event: At a high-level side event at TICAD9 in Yokohama, co-hosted by AUDA-NEPAD, SDG Promise Japan, DNDI and Uniting to Combat NTDs, leaders from Africa and Japan came together to strengthen momentum against NTDs and reinforce their shared commitment to advancing universal health coverage.
• Uniting participates in 75th WHO AFRO and signs strategic MoU with ECSA-HC: At the session, Uniting joined delegates from member states, UN agencies, and international organisations under the theme “Building a Healthier Africa Together.” Led by CEO Dr. Isatou Touray, Uniting actively contributed to high-level discussions and strategic engagements throughout the three-day event. Read more from WHO AFRO plus Read more about the MoU with ECSA-HC

September

• Uniting’s engagements at UNGA 2025: Through a series of high-level meetings, strategic partnerships, and advocacy events, Uniting reinforced its commitment to bold leadership, multisectoral collaboration, and innovative financing for health at UNGA 2025. Read more. One particular highlight from the week was renewing the strategic memorandum of understanding with the African Union Commission. Read more on the African Union Commission MoU
• Progressing partnership with AUDA-NEPAD: Uniting has continued to collaborate with AUDA-NEPAD, who added praziquantel to its priority list of 24 medical products for local manufacturing and enhanced access in Africa earlier this year. We are now collaborating on a three-year, US$1.125M proposal.
• Advocacy & Resource Mobilisation: The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development added 14 commitments to the Kigali Declaration Commitment Tracker in September, (from 2021 to 2029), totalling US$113.5 million. Bringing the total to US$2 billion.

October

Uniting at the NNN: In October, Uniting proudly joined the Neglected Tropical Disease NGO Network Conference (NNN 2025) in Uganda, focused on Sustainable Innovations for Impact.

November

• Uniting co-convened a meeting in Abuja which showcased major progress towards sustainable domestic financing for NTDs: The event marked a major victory in advocacy for NTDs, with a review showing remarkable progress on a key 2024 resolution: "Creating dedicated budget lines for NTDs... at the State level." As a direct result of these efforts, 21 out of 36 states have successfully established dedicated budget lines for NTDs within their 2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).
• Uniting launched a new communications initiative: The Case for Investing in NTDs: This initiative is specifically designed to equip partners with the compelling data, powerful visuals, and real-life stories needed to help shift the NTD narrative from burden to return on investment – showcasing NTDs as one of the smartest economic strategies for boosting health and development. Visit the web hub and download a suite of partner resources to help amplify the call for investment in NTDs.
• IDA21: Uniting updated the IDA21 toolkit with a new Business Case Development Template to support Ministries of Health in Africa in securing IDA21 financing for NTD elimination.

December

This December, we are taking a moment to recognise the progress made towards beating NTDs. There are many more highlights we could have mentioned from 2025, with lots of behind-the-scenes advocacy taking place to ensure that NTDs are prioritised and invested in.

Uniting to Combat NTDs extends its deepest thanks to our partners for your tireless commitment, your collaboration, and your steadfast belief in what is possible. Together, we have strengthened a powerful platform for sustainable investment and collective action. As we look ahead, we must continue to build on this shared momentum, innovate in the face of challenge, and ensure that every country has the resources needed to end the burden of NTDs and improve the quality of life for millions around the world.

We wish all partners a Happy Holidays and a fruitful New Year!