The Kigali Summit

Introduction The Kigali Summit takes place in June 2022

Taking place on Thursday 23 June on the side-lines of the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda, the Kigali Summit on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) will convene endemic and donor country leaders, including presidents, community and business leaders, and philanthropists, to galvanize action to end these diseases.

Hosted by His Excellency President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and co-convened by The RBM Partnership to End Malaria and Uniting to Combat NTDs, the Summit will be a landmark moment to renew high-level commitments to end malaria and NTDs and unlock the potential for countries to build a safer world.

The Summit will also be a critical moment to highlight how investments in fighting these diseases have a much broader impact. Platforms built by malaria and NTD programmes have been at the forefront of the COVID-19 response. Increased investments against these diseases will advance equity by further strengthening health systems and helping protect against future pandemics.

Incredible progress over the last two decades proves ending NTDs is an achievable goal.

Thanks to ambitious global commitments, the world has made significant progress toward ending NTDs for good, 45 countries have eliminated at least one NTD, 600 million people no longer require treatment for NTDs, and cases of diseases that have plagued humanity for centuries, such as sleeping sickness and Guinea worm disease, are at an all-time low, bringing the goal of eradication even closer. Despite these successes, NTDs continue to thrive in areas of poverty, afflicting the lives and livelihoods of billions of people. 1.7 billion people continue to suffer from NTDs – many of which debilitate, disfigure and disable.

The Kigali Summit provides an opportunity to secure political support and investment in integrating NTDs programmes, as well as wider healthcare and cross-sectoral programmes. Better integration across sectors will lead to more efficient use of limited funding, better integration for data to help those in need, as well as better delivery of life-saving tools.

Uniting to Combat NTDs, along with our partners are calling on global leaders to renew their commitments set at the 2018 CHOGM, endorse the Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases and mobilise a fully resourced Global Fund Replenishment to save millions more from malaria and NTDs.

Thanks to political leadership and funding, we have succeeded in saving and improving billions of lives for generations to come. Let’s use the Kigali Summit as a historic opportunity to accelerate action against malaria and NTDs and unlock the potential of countries to build a healthier, safer and stronger world.