COP28: UAE prepares $777 million fund for neglected tropical diseases with $100 million pledge

The RLM fund was launched in 2017 by Sheikh Mohamed with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. On Sunday, Bill Gates announced that his foundation would match Sheikh Mohammed’s new $100 million fund.

“Climate change is inextricably linked to poverty and diseases that affect millions of people,” Gates said. “That’s why funding for life-saving healthcare is critical and why we’re joining global partners to build on the Reaching the Last Mile Fund’s tremendous progress to date and accelerate the elimination of FL and blindness in children.” rivers in Africa and beyond.

NTDs are a diverse group of 20 conditions that are primarily prevalent in tropical areas, where they affect more than one billion people living in impoverished communities. They are caused by a variety of pathogens including viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi and toxins.

The RLM fund, which successfully eliminated two NTDs, enabled Nigeria to become the first African country to end river blindness.

At the RLM 2023 Forum at COP28, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, was accompanied by world leaders including Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of Tanzania; and Dr. Austin Demby, Minister of Health and Sanitation of Sierra Leone, in a demonstration of the country’s endemic leadership against NTDs. Also present was Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of the Presidential Court’s Martyrs’ Family Affairs and Development Office, which oversees Reaching the Last Mile, along with ministers and global health leaders.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed stated: “The United Arab Emirates is proud to host this pivotal conference and expresses its gratitude to all those who have taken the opportunity to renew their commitment to ending neglected tropical diseases. Today’s demonstration of global solidarity reflects a shared determination to deliver a better, more dignified future for all. The incredible advances of the last two decades have demonstrated that a world free of neglected tropical diseases is an achievable goal. We warmly thank governments, donors and partners for supporting us as we strive to achieve this.”

Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed said: “Today we reaffirm our commitment to eliminating these diseases of poverty and saving and improving lives around the world. Climate change is already affecting infectious disease patterns and putting at risk the enormous progress that countries have made to date.

“With endemic countries leading the way, the Reaching the Last Mile Fund represents a historic opportunity to free communities across Africa from the threat of two NTDs and, in partnership, unlock the potential for a healthier world.”

With additional contributions from national partners and donors, including Sierra Leone, the Carter Centre, Sightsavers, the Children’s Investment Foundation Fund (CIFF), The Helmsley Charitable Trust, the END Fund and Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company, the RLMF will significantly expand its reach, with the aim of ensuring that more than 350 million people no longer need treatment for these diseases by 2030.

In five years, the RLMF has provided more than 100 million treatments, trained 1.3 million health workers, and established nine laboratories to support surveillance and testing for neglected tropical diseases. The fund also played a key role in interrupting the transmission of river blindness in Niger, an achievement once considered scientifically impossible in Africa, and has supported Senegal in reaching this milestone.

The peak of pledging saw new multi-million dollar commitments made by organizations such as the Anesvad Foundation, CIFF, USAID, Global Health EDCTP3, UBS Optimus Foundation, NALA Foundation, Evidence Action, Helen Keller Intl and Fred Hollows Foundation, as well as of the governments of Germany and Belgium.

These commitments will help close the funding gap needed to accelerate progress towards WHO roadmap targets that call for at least 100 countries to have eliminated at least one NTD by 2030 and reduce the number of people requiring treatment for NTDs.

To date, 50 countries have eliminated at least one NTD and 600 million people no longer need treatment. Cases of some diseases that have plagued communities for centuries, such as dracunculiasis and sleeping sickness, are at their lowest level.

However, climate change is affecting the extent and prevalence of infectious diseases such as NTDs, threatening to erase gains in elimination and halt future progress. The commitments will help fund essential programs and treatments, support new research and innovations, and strengthen frontline health systems and workforces, among other investments.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said: “In light of the pledges made today at the Reaching the Last Mile 2023 Forum, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the global community, especially to the fundamental leadership role of the United Arab Emirates, led by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This commitment is a significant step towards the eradication, elimination and control of NTDs, perfectly aligning with the roadmap for NTDs 2021-2030. The collaborative efforts of countries and global donors exemplify an unwavering dedication to improving the lives of the 1.6 billion people affected by these diseases. This partnership, especially in the face of the challenges posed by climate change , represents a ray of hope and a testimony of what can be achieved through united global action.”