Ending Neglected Tropical Diseases for stronger communities, health systems and economies

As we pursue a more sustainable and equitable future, we confront a silent crisis: Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). These 21 preventable diseases – including infectious ones like dengue, lymphatic filariasis, and leprosy – continue to afflict over one billion people, predominantly in the world’s poorest and most marginalised communities. 

NTDs are defined not only by their biology, but by neglect itself. That neglect has allowed them to persist where health systems are weakest, and inequality runs deepest. These diseases can lead to lifelong disabilities, disfigurement, and stigma, reducing school attendance and workforce participation, and limiting economic growth. 

If we are to build strong, secure, inclusive societies in the decade ahead, governments and partners must act decisively. We must integrate NTDs into primary health services, turn global promises into local progress, and – crucially – make the fight to end NTDs everyone’s business, mainstreamed across sectors and borders.

An inflection point for NTD elimination

Historic progress shows us what’s possible: 58 countries¹  have eliminated at least one NTD, and in 2023 over 860 million people received life-changing treatment.²  Yet today, our hard-won momentum is faltering. Global funding cuts and increasing priorities from traditional donors have left elimination efforts further under-resourced. 

The shocks of COVID-19 exposed the link between public health and economic stability. Today, more than 70% of World Health Organization (WHO) country offices report service disruptions comparable to those experienced during the pandemic.³  Nearly 50 major treatment campaigns in 2025 have been delayed, putting 143 million people at renewed risk. Climate change, conflict, and internal displacement are making the fight against NTDs harder and contributing to these diseases spreading to new areas.

And yet, eliminating NTDs remains one of the smartest, most cost-effective, high-impact investments we can make in human health and development. NTDs cost an estimated $33 billion annually in lost productivity and out-of-pocket expenses.⁴  Every $1 invested can yield up to $25 in economic returns – through improved workforce participation, women’s health, and stronger health systems.

This is not just a health issue. It is a human capital, economic, and global development imperative. To foster a more equitable future, we must target our efforts toward current systems, leaders and tools that will shape the future of NTD elimination.

Action 1 – Integrate NTD care into health systems 

Ending NTDs starts at the community and the primary health level. Integrating services into national systems ensures consistency in government budget allocation and greater efficiency, strengthens workforce capacity, surveillance, and outbreak response while expanding health access for vulnerable populations. 

In Nigeria: Integrating NTD services into primary health care systems has increased access for rural populations, while building a stronger workforce through the training of over 80,000 health workers. In addition, the END Fund has worked with the Ministry of Health to successfully mobilise resources for NTDs from the private sector, totalling over $700,000 in direct, aligned and in-kind funding for the inclusion of NTD services in primary health care.

In Kenya: Our Deworming Innovation Fund, supported by domestic resources, has led to a significant increase in financing for NTD control and elimination, from $8,035.00 in 2021/2022 to $161,240.00 in 2024/2025.

When countries invest in integrated NTD care, they are investing in resilient systems that detect threats early, protect families’ incomes, and keep economies moving. 

Action 2 – Turn global commitments into national results 

Global frameworks like the Kigali Declaration on NTDs provide targets, but measurable national implementation is what delivers results. Community-led delivery models have demonstrated that elimination is achievable when local systems are empowered.

Togo became the first country to eliminate four NTDs (Guinea worm, lymphatic filariasis, sleeping sickness, and trachoma) through community-driven delivery and strong political will.

Nigeria’s five-year NTD Master Plan prioritises domestic financing and coordination across states, reducing reliance on donors.

In Niger, eliminating river blindness reclaimed tens of thousands of hectares of farmland, directly boosting agricultural productivity and aligning health gains with national economic and food security priorities.

These examples provide critical blueprints. Scaling for impact requires the global health community to support countries in scaling what works, aligning funding and technical expertise with national development and economic
priorities.

Action 3 – Make NTD goals everyone’s business 

NTDs are not just a health issue. They are a cross-cutting development challenge, and solving them requires full-spectrum leadership.

From finance ministries to education, from climate resilience and water to infrastructure, NTDs must remain central to development strategies. Access to clean water and sanitation reduces transmission of diseases like schistosomiasis and trachoma. School-based programmes teach prevention. Ministries of finance play a critical role in sustaining gains through smart budgeting and cross-sectoral investment.

The G20 can lead by embedding NTDs in the wider global agenda through One Health, climate resilience, and pandemic preparedness frameworks. Furthermore, multilateral institutions must protect NTD funding amid competing crises and support the WHO in delivering integrated country-level assistance. 

At the same time, private sector partners must be part of the solution. From pharmaceutical innovation to new diagnostics and delivery models, companies can accelerate progress, bring new technologies to market, and unlock efficiencies that public systems alone cannot achieve. 

At the END Fund, our unique funding model and systems approach focuses on convening these cross-sector investors and leaders from around the world, and bringing them together with in-country leaders around high-impact opportunities to scale innovative, community-based solutions for NTD treatment and elimination closing the global inequity gap. 

When we treat NTDs as a shared responsibility, rather than a niche concern, we unlock the true potential of this work: to strengthen economies, prevent the exacerbation of conflict-driven instability, and improve global cooperation.

The Decade to End Neglect 

NTDs are among the most solvable global health challenges. We have decades of experience, local leadership, and proven tools. What we need now is sustained action. By integrating NTD care into health systems, translating global commitments into real national outcomes, and embedding NTD goals across sectors, we can end the cycle of neglect and unlock a healthier future for all. 

As leaders gather in global forums, from the UNGA to the G20, the END Fund invites a collective recognition of this moment for what it is: a pivotal opportunity to invest in one of the greatest public health victories of our time. Let’s end NTDs and build a world where no one is left behind.

¹“Fiji becomes the 26th country to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem.” World Health Organization: WHO, Who.int, 2025, https://www.who.int/news/item/20-10-2025-fiji-becomes-the-26th-country-to-eliminate-trachoma-as-a-public-health-problem ²“Brief Summary of All NTDs for the World NTD Day 2025.” World Health Organization: WHO, Who.int, 2025, www.who.int/campaigns/world-ntd-day/2025/brief-outline. ³World. “Neglected Tropical Diseases Further Neglected due to ODA Cuts.” Who.int, World Health Organization: WHO, 4 June 2025, www.who.int/news/item/04-06-2025-neglected-tropical-diseases-further-neglected-due-to-oda-cuts. ⁴Fitzpatrick, Christopher, et al. “An Investment Case for Ending Neglected Tropical Diseases.” Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (Volume 6): Major Infectious Diseases, 6 Nov. 2017, pp. 411–431, https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-0524-0_ch17.