Article

Neglected No More: A Global Call to End the Silent Epidemic

August 22, 2025

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) continue to affect the lives of nearly 1.5 billion people globally. These diseases strike hardest at those who are already vulnerable—especially women, girls, and working families—deepening cycles of poverty and marginalization. The impact is not only medical but also profoundly social and economic: NTDs keep children out of school, push adults out of work, and cause long-term disability that limits potential and weakens community resilience. A new wave of leadership—with Japan among the frontrunners, working alongside the Expanded Special Project for the Elimination of NTDs (ESPEN), African governments, partners, and the wider NTD community—is now turning commitment into delivery, aligning investments with the WHO NTD Road Map (2021–2030) and accelerating measurable progress.

1. From Advocacy to Commitment: Japan’s Strategic Global Health Leadership

At the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78) in Geneva, Japan reaffirmed its leadership in global health at the side event “Strengthening Strategic Partnerships to Combat Infectious Diseases.” In his opening remarks, Vice Minister Hirofumi Niki set the tone for Japan’s approach to global cooperation:

“Effective responses to these diseases require cross-border cooperation and innovation. Japan is committed to working closely with stakeholders across industry, the public sector, civil society, and academia to accelerate the elimination of NTDs.”

Japan’s actions match its words. As a key donor to CEPI, Gavi, and the Global Fund, Japan has built an ecosystem that blends research, financing, and delivery. Through its Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund, it is investing in tools to close treatment gaps, while its continued support to WHO’s ESPEN demonstrates commitment to country-level implementation.

Beyond multilateral support, Japan’s bilateral contributions—such as providing mpox vaccines to the Democratic Republic of the Congo—showcase an agile, needs-driven approach to global health cooperation.

2. From Commitment to Collaboration: TICAD9 as a Turning Point

At the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) held in Yokohama in August 2025, Japan transformed its advocacy into a global movement—placing NTDs firmly on the agenda as a catalyst for universal health coverage (UHC), innovation, and youth empowerment.

Co-Creating Africa to End NTDs: From Innovation to Implementation – organized by Nagasaki University, JPMA, DNDi Japan, SDGs Promise Japan, GHIT Fund, JAGntd, and the NTD Youth Organization, this symposium united parliamentarians, industry leaders, scientists, and youth advocates to bridge the gap between research and delivery. It called for predictable financing, sustainable systems, and locally led solutions—translating the Nagasaki Outcomes Statement from vision to implementation.
Advancing UHC: Celebrating Japanese and African Leadership – co-hosted by AUDA-NEPAD, SDG Promise Japan, and Uniting to Combat NTDs, this high-level dialogue reaffirmed that UHC cannot be achieved without NTD elimination. ESPEN underscored the need to integrate pre-school-aged children into treatment plans and address gaps in schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths (STH) control—linking elimination directly to health equity and learning outcomes.
The Future of Global Health: Youth at the Center – co-hosted by NTD Youth Organization (NTD Youth Japan) and ESPEN, this session spotlighted youth voices from Japan and Africa shaping the global NTD agenda. A key outcome was strengthened collaboration with NTD Youth Japan, following meaningful dialogue that culminated in a joint concept note proposing youth-led initiatives on advocacy, capacity building, and cross-regional exchange. This partnership formalizes a bridge between ESPEN and youth networks in Africa and Japan—ensuring that tomorrow’s leaders help drive today’s decisions.

Founded by medical student Ryota Todoroki after firsthand experiences in India, NTD Youth Japan has since partnered with WHO and Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, leading national World NTD Day campaigns. As Todoroki reflects:

“Seeing the impact of NTDs up close reminded me that awareness is not enough—our generation must turn what we’ve witnessed into action.”

This movement reflects Japan’s conviction that youth are not merely the future of global health—they are the present. Their leadership is bringing fresh urgency and public engagement to a cause once confined to technical circles, building solidarity through lived experience and shared purpose.

Hon. Ayano Kunimitsu (Secretary-General) and Daishiro Yamagiwa (Acting Chairman) facilitate the stakeholder meeting of the Japan Parliamentary League against NTDs

3. From Pledges to Delivery: Turning Dialogue into Action

Japan’s commitment is being translated into tangible progress through strategic collaboration with ESPEN and partners across Africa.

System Strengthening & Policy Platforms: Through the UHC Knowledge Hub (with WHO and the World Bank), Japan is building health-financing capacity in low- and middle-income countries and aligning UHC reforms with disease elimination. A UHC High-Level Forum to be held in Tokyo in December 2025 will further consolidate this agenda.
Innovation to Last-Mile Access: With the GHIT Fund and ESPEN, Japan is is translating innovation into access. Praziquantel has WHO approval for community use and is being introduced in Uganda and Côte d’Ivoire, closing persistent treatment gaps and advancing toward sustainable national scale-up.
Country Delivery & Sustainability: ESPEN is helping ministries of health move from donation-dependent models to domestic budgeting, embedding NTD programs within UHC frameworks. Countries are expanding community-based distribution, strengthening surveillance for pre-school-aged children, and aligning procurement to national plans.

Why Now: Ending NTDs Is Smart Policy

Eliminating NTDs is more than a public health goal—it is a strategic investment in education, productivity, and equity. Every treatment delivered restores a child’s chance to learn, a family’s ability to work, and a community’s opportunity to thrive.

Japan’s leadership—anchored in innovation, youth engagement, and system strengthening—proves that ending NTDs is both a moral imperative and smart policy. And with ESPEN’s presence on the ground, ensuring countries translate ambition into action, Africa is closer than ever to closing the chapter on these diseases of neglect.

The WHA78 and TICAD9 made one thing clear: progress comes when vision, science, and solidarity converge. The partnerships forged between Japan, ESPEN, and African nations show that ending NTDs is not a distant aspiration—it is a defining measure of global equity.

The world has the evidence, the tools, and the partnerships. What remains is the will:
Because the world is no longer short on evidence; it is short on action.