COP28 gets $777mn to fight Neglected Tropical Diseases

Source– This post is based on the article “$777mn Pledged at RLM Forum to Tackle Neglected Tropical Diseases” published in “Emirati Times” on 3rd December 2023.

Why in the News?

The 2023 Reaching the Last Mile Forum at COP28 has secured over $777 million in pledges to address the growing challenge of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

What is Reaching the Last Mile Forum?

1) The Forum was hosted by Reaching the Last Mile (under the patronage of the President of the UAE), in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

2) Held on the sidelines of COP28 first ever ‘Health Day‘, the forum serves as a platform to assess the effects of climate change on human health.

3) At the forum, the expansion of the Reaching the Last Mile Fund (RLMF) from $100 million to $500 million was announced.
Note – It’s a 10-year, multi-donor fund, aimed at eliminating lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis (river blindness) in sub-Saharan Africa.

4) The pledge holds significance as the incidence of NTDs are expected to rise with global warming.

What are Neglected Tropical Diseases?

1) NTDs are diseases that are mainly prevalent in tropical areas, particularly among marginalized or isolated communities. For example– dengue and chikungunya, lymphatic filariasis, leprosy, yaws, etc.

2) As these diseases have largely been wiped out in the more developed parts and persist mostly in the poorer countries, they are absent from the global health agenda and hence called ‘neglected’.

What are the Global initiatives to eliminate NTD?

1) WHO NTD roadmap 2021-2030 is blueprint to drive global efforts in the fight against NTDs in the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

2) The London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases was a collaborative disease eradication programme launched on 30 January 2012 in London.

UPSC Syllabus- Science & Technology/ Environment