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Letter to G7 Leaders
To: Chancellor Angela Merkel, Federal Republic of Germany, President of the 2015 G7
Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, Japan
Prime Minister David Cameron, United Kingdom
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Canada
President François Hollande, Republic of France
President Barack Obama, United States of America
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Republic of Italy
Cc: G7 Sherpas
Your Excellencies,
As organisations involved in Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)1 including leprosy, we would like to
applaud G7 leaders for putting global health, particularly neglected and poverty-related diseases, at
the forefront of the G7’s development agenda at the G7 Summit this year.
1.9 billion people across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean are exposed to infections that
thrive in poverty-endemic communities that lack access to health services, adequate sanitation and
clean water. These infections cause physical disability, blindness, and increased susceptibility to
infection, as well as exposing people to social stigma and discrimination. Without timely and quality
treatment, children face stunted growth, disability, cognitive delays and exclusion - posing a serious
threat to their education and well-being. Not only do NTDs have a negative effect on the health and
economic future of hundreds of individuals, they have a negative economic and social impact on
entire nations.
NTDs perpetuate the cycle of poverty. These diseases are inextricably linked to poor maternal, newborn and child health, poverty and inequality. They require a comprehensive and holistic solution.
As the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are finalised and the associated targets and
indicators developed, the link between NTDs and poverty must be recognised. It has been
suggested that NTDs should be used as a proxy indicator for poverty, to ensure that ‘no-one is left
behind’.
As stated by the WHO in ‘Investing to Overcome the Global Impact of Neglected Tropical Diseases:
Third WHO Report on Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2015,’1 ‘NTD are a litmus test for Universal Health
Coverage (UHC)’. Using NTDs as an indicator for UHC will ensure that the most marginalised are
reached and ‘no-one is left behind’.
Major pharmaceutical companies, which donated 2.5 billion treatments in 2012 and 2013, have
established a superb track record of leadership in efforts to control and eliminate NTDs, and NGO
and government partners are working to ensure these treatments reach the people who needed
them. However, a $220 million global annual funding gap for treatment continues to stand in the
way of reaching the WHO 2020 targets. In addition, new innovation is needed - with investment in
1
The World Health Organisation lists 17 neglected tropical diseases: Dengue, rabies, blinding trachoma, Buruli ulcer,
endemic treponematoses (yaws), leprosy (Hansen disease), Chagas disease, human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping
sickness), leishmaniasis, cysticercosis, dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease), echinococcosis, foodborne trematode
infections, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis (river blindness), schistosomiasis (bilharziasis), soil-transmitted helminthiases
(intestinal worms). The WHO recommends an integrated approach to overcoming the global impact of NTDs through five
interventions: innovative and intensified disease management; preventive chemotherapy; vector ecology and
management; veterinary public-health services; and the provision of safe water, sanitation and hygiene. Investing to
Overcome the Global Impact of Neglected Tropical Diseases: Third WHO Report on neglected tropical diseases, 2015
research into new drugs, diagnostics, treatments and vaccines. We encourage G7 leaders to scale
up investments now to ensure that programmes are able to reach all affected populations, while
sustaining the progress made thus far.
It also must be recognised that provision of drugs for the prevention and treatment is not the only
issue that needs to be addressed in terms of NTDs. Hundreds of millions of people are already
living with disabilities and discrimination caused by NTDs (including over 3 million disabled by
leprosy), and require further treatment, rehabilitation and inclusion to ensure they access their
right to health, education and employment. Investment is needed in raising awareness of these
diseases to ensure early diagnosis and addressing the stigma caused by those such as leprosy and
lymphatic filaraisis; improving rehabilitation services that address the medical, social and economic
barriers to inclusion; as well as preventing further infection by investing in water, sanitation, and
hygiene.
We the undersigned call upon the G7 to:
 Use their influence in discussions on the SDGs to ensure that NTDs are included and ensure
that NTDs are used as a key indicator for poverty and Universal Health Coverage
 Commit to securing the $220 million global annual funding gap for treatment and scale up
programmes to enable the WHO 2020 targets to be reached
 Ensure that patient care and rehabilitation is not neglected in favour of disease prevention
 Invest in innovative approaches into new drugs, diagnostics, treatments and vaccines, as
well as in multi-sectoral approaches which address the wider issues associated with NTDs,
including health awareness, disability, stigma and discrimination, and access to education,
employment and WASH.
Bill Simmons
President and CEO
Mag. Matthias Wittrock
Managing Director
Huib Cornielje
Executive director
René Stäheli
CEO
José Manuel Amorós Muñoz
CEO
Tanya Wood
CEO
Sarah Nancollas
Chief executive
Ashim Chowla
Chief Executive
Mr. Mervyn F. Lobo
CEO
Jan van Berkel
Director
Tanvir Ahmed
Chairman/Founder
Dr. Vineeta Shanker
Executive Director
Professor Etsuko Kita
Chair
Michael Forbes Smith
President
Anthony Leung
Chairman
Salomon Sumon Halder
Country Director
Paulin Songolea Bakalania
Country Leader
Dr Sabuni Paluku
Country Leader
Klaus Leonhardt - CEO
and
Dr Jan Meyer – Chair
Peter Walker
National Director
Marta Risko
Country Leader
Sunil Anand
Director
Arie de Kruijff
Country leader
Dr Zaw Moe Aung
Country Director
Henno Couprie
Country Leader
Shovakhar Kandel
Country Leader
Brent Morgan
Executive Director
Mr. Oluloto Olubunmi
Country Leader
Joanne Briggs
National Director
Bert van der Waal
Country Leader
Linda Todd
CEO
Dr. Yousif Deng
Country Leader
Allan Ekstedt
Country Leader
Markus Freudiger
General Manager
Geoff Warne
General Director