World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day 2025: Unite. Act. Eliminate.

World NTDs Day 2025

World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day, observed annually on January 30, is a pivotal event dedicated to raising awareness and mobilising action against NTDs globally. Established on the anniversary of the signing of the London Declaration on NTDs in 2012—the same year the World Health Organization (WHO) published its first-ever NTD roadmap—World NTD Day has become one of WHO’s 11 official world health days and two health weeks.

This day serves as an important time to commemorate the progress achieved, call attention to ongoing challenges, and explore new opportunities in the fight against NTDs. It is also a moment to acknowledge those living with these diseases, remember those who have lost their lives, and support communities affected by NTDs. By inspiring action and investment, World NTD Day aims to accelerate efforts towards eliminating these diseases and improving the lives of millions of people around the world.

Goal

The overarching goals of World NTD Day are as follows: 

• Highlight achievements in NTD prevention, control, and elimination
• Advocate for funding
• Increase support for country interventions and regional collaboration
• Catalyze community activation and engagement

Theme for World NTD Day 2025: Unite. Act. Eliminate.

Building on the momentum from previous years, the theme for World NTD Day 2025 remains “Unite. Act. Eliminate.” The theme, originally inspired by a call to action from President Embaló of Guinea-Bissau in July 2023, continues to emphasize the importance of taking neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) out of isolation and fostering integrated action and investment. 

This year, the theme seeks to unite all partners and stakeholders to achieve our collective goals. It underscores the need for effective action through country commitment, resources, technical guidance, solidarity, and coordination. By highlighting where we are with elimination—including country successes, country spotlights, and ongoing challenges—the theme conveys a sense of collaboration and urgency. It enables partners to adapt the messaging to their specific contexts while reinforcing the collective effort required to eliminate NTDs.

To support and reinforce the global theme “Unite. Act. Eliminate.”, key global messages have been developed in collaboration with partners and stakeholders. In addition to these overarching messages, further emphasis has been placed on three priority topics—or thematic “buckets”—identified during consultations earlier this year. These focus areas aim to continue the momentum of taking NTDs out of isolation and linking NTD advocacy to other global health priorities.

• Climate change and One Health
• Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) 
• Person-centered and community-led approaches

Key messages

Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) 

Investing in NTDs and ensuring they are included in primary health care is a cornerstone of strong health systems and can lay the foundations for universal health coverage. 

• NTDs, being diseases of inequity, serve as a litmus test for Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Addressing NTDs acts as a tracer for equity in UHC and helps ensure that no one is left behind. Without tackling NTDs, no country can fully achieve UHC.
• NTD programmes strengthen health systems by increasing access to hard-to-reach people and training community health workers, who provide a first line of primary healthcare. Both are vital for achieving universal health coverage. 

Primary healthcare (PHC) is the backbone of health systems and is essential for reaching underserved communities. Since 90% of essential interventions for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) can be delivered through PHC, incorporating NTD interventions into these essential packages of care is vital. By including NTDs in PHC, we ensure that prevention and treatment services are accessible to those who need them most, strengthening health systems and accelerating progress towards eliminating these diseases.

Climate Change and One Health

NTDs are likely to be particularly sensitive to climate change because of the wide range of pathogens, vectors, intermediate hosts and reservoir hosts, and the concentration of NTDs.  Communities and populations living in vulnerable conditions are  expected to experience the greatest environmental change in the coming decades. 

• The recent scoping review notes that there is considerable uncertainty alongside growing evidence of the likely impact of climate change  on the range, intensity and behaviour of vectors for dengue, chikungunya and leishmaniases.
• We must urgently adapt our strategies to preserve global health gains and investments in this rapidly evolving climate landscape, identifying opportunities for integrated approaches, such as with malaria.
• Adopting a One Health approach can better help target links between human, environmental, and animal health, and the risk of infection transmission between these due to shifting climates. A One Health approach can also enhance the impact of NTDs interventions, integrate NTDs into the broader health agenda, better utilize existing resources, connect data from different sectors to identify and foresee trends, and help deliver sustainable outcomes.
• Furthermore, highlighting the potential health impacts of climate change, including the spread of NTDs, to decision-makers is crucial to unlock funding and drive action. With only an estimated 0.05% of multilateral climate funding dedicated to human health projects, significantly increasing this investment is essential to protect future populations and sustain progress in disease elimination efforts.
• More research is also critical to better understand how climate change will directly and indirectly affect NTDs in the medium to long term, but we must still act now to mitigate these effects. 

Person-centered and Community-led Approaches

Adopting person-centered and community-led approaches is essential for sustainable and effective NTD programs and interventions. By involving the very people and communities affected by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), we harness their invaluable expertise and ensure that solutions are tailored to real needs.

• People and communities living with and affected by NTDs should be actively involved in all stages of NTD programme development—from inception to monitoring and evaluation. Their firsthand experiences provide unique insights that can enhance program design and implementation.
• Investing in enhancing the capacity of local communities to lead initiatives fosters ownership and enhances the effectiveness of interventions. Community-led programs are more likely to be culturally sensitive, accepted, and sustained over time.
• Person-centered approaches build trust between health providers and communities. When people feel heard and valued, they are more likely to participate in interventions, adhere to treatments, and advocate for health initiatives within their communities.

Calls to action

Call to action: Sustain and increase investments in NTDs
Sustaining progress against NTDs in an era of reduced ODA, global conflicts, and prolonged economic uncertainty demands sustainable and innovative financial commitments. Without secure funding, hard-won gains are at risk of reversal. Governments, donors, private sector partners, and philanthropic organizations must not only sustain but increase investments in NTDs. Additionally, stakeholders must advocate for innovative and integrated funding mechanisms that provide sustainable, predictable resources to meet the WHO NTD Roadmap targets for 2030. Together, we can bridge projected funding gaps and protect vulnerable communities from preventable suffering caused by NTDs.

Call to action: Amplify political will and action
Political leadership drives transformative change. Without strong political will and decisive action, progress fighting NTDs can stagnate, putting millions at risk. World leaders must prioritize NTDs in national, regional and global health agendas. Governments must endorse and implement declarations and frameworks like the Kigali Declaration and the African Union’s Continental Framework on NTDs, and integrate NTD targets into broader health, development, and equity goals. Let us unite to ensure that no community is left behind in the fight to eliminate NTDs.

Call to action: Enhance data systems for timely surveillance and response
Actionable, high-quality data is the backbone of effective NTD surveillance, planning, and response. Current gaps in data quality, timeliness, and comprehensiveness hinder efforts to track progress, allocate resources, and respond swiftly to emerging challenges. Partners must invest in strengthening data systems that deliver timely, accurate, and comprehensive insights. Governments, stakeholders and partners must work collaboratively to ensure data is actionable, enabling precise interventions that drive measurable progress.

Call to action: Accelerate research and development for new tools
Achieving the WHO 2030 NTD targets requires innovation in medicines, diagnostics, and vaccines tailored to the unique challenges of NTDs. Current tools alone are insufficient to address emerging and persistent challenges in the fight against these diseases. Investment in research and development must increase to accelerate the creation of new and improved tools and their integration into routine healthcare delivery. Stakeholders must prioritize funding and partnerships that drive breakthroughs in diagnostics, medicines, and vaccines, guided by evidence-informed frameworks like the WHO R&D Blueprint for NTDs.

Call to action: Strengthen community engagement
Communities at risk are on the frontlines of the fight against NTDs, yet their voices and expertise are often underutilized. Community participation  – with a focus on gender equity and youth – can play a central role in NTD efforts to ensure sustainability, effectiveness, and equity. Governments, donors, and partners must prioritize community engagement in NTD programs by investing in developing  local leaders, supporting health workers, and fostering grassroots advocacy. By placing communities at the heart of our efforts, we can ensure that interventions are inclusive, sustainable, and impactful.

Source of Info: World NTD Day Official Website

Recommended readings

• The Road map for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) 2021–2030
• World NTD Day 2023: Act Now. Act together. Invest in NTDs Day
• World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day: Beat NTDs: For Good. For All.
• WHO officially recognizes noma as a neglected tropical disease
• NTDs listed by WHO Regional Offices (in alphabetical order)
• World NTDs Day: Act Now. Act Together. Invest in Neglected Tropical Diseases
• World NTD Day: A new day in the fight against NTDs
• World Chagas Disease Day: Comprehensive, equitable health care services for all people affected by Chagas Disease
• Viet Nam eliminates trachoma as a public health problem
• Brazil eliminates lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem
• New research flags the urgent need for research and evidence on the impact of climate change on neglected tropical diseases and malaria
• The Lao People’s Democratic Republic eliminates lymphatic filariasis
• First WHO guidance on snakebite treatments published
• Myanmar eliminates trachoma: WHO
• Mosquito sterilization offers new opportunity to control dengue, Zika and chikungunya
• Sydney Statement on Global Health Security