Geneva, Switzerland, 24 May April 2024 – The Geneva Learning Foundation (TGLF) and Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases (Uniting) are pleased to announce a new partnership to elevate the voices and experiences of local health workers in the global effort to control and eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
This collaboration kicks off with TGLF’s flagship event, Teach to Reach 10, on 20-21 June 2024, which will focus on the critical intersection of climate change and health, with a spotlight on NTDs.
Teach to Reach is the world’s largest community-driven peer learning event for health workers. It brings together thousands of health professionals, primarily from low- and middle-income countries, to share experiences, learn from each other, and drive local action on pressing health challenges.
In the lead-up to Teach to Reach 10, health workers will share their experiences in tackling NTDs in a changing climate. These grassroots perspectives will inform the agenda and discussions at the June event, ensuring that the voices of those most affected are at the center.
Uniting to Combat NTDs, a global advocacy and resource mobilisation organisation, will be an active participant at Teach to Reach 10, listening to and learning from the experiences shared by health workers. These insights will inform Uniting’s ongoing efforts to mobilize resources and political will to reach everyone affected by NTDs.
“Partnering with The Geneva Learning Foundation and Teach to Reach opens up a vital channel for us to hear directly from frontline health workers about the challenges they face and the solutions they are pioneering. Their experiences must guide our collective efforts to beat NTDs in a changing climate and achieve health equity.”
“Local health workers are our eyes and ears on the ground. They see firsthand how climate change is impacting health in their communities, including the spread of NTDs. By partnering with Uniting to Combat NTDs, we aim to bring these critical frontline insights to global conversations on climate and health.”
NTDs, a group of 21 diseases that disproportionately affect the world’s most marginalized communities, are especially sensitive to climatic changes. Rising temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events are expected to intensify transmission and spread of many NTDs. Strengthening local health systems and empowering frontline health workers will be key to building resilience against these diseases in a warming world.
Through this partnership, The Geneva Learning Foundation and Uniting to Combat NTDs aim to ensure that the knowledge, insights, and expertise of local health workers shape the global agenda on climate change and NTDs. The shared purpose is to drive more effective, equitable, and locally-led action to control and eliminate these diseases, so that no one is left behind.
The Geneva Learning Foundation is a Swiss non-profit organization with the mission to develop and implement new ways to learn and lead to tackle critical threats to our societies.
Uniting to Combat NTDs is a collective of invested, interested and dedicated partners, working together to fulfil the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases.