Three weeks ago we asked you to speak out for the world’s poorest people suffering from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by signing our letter addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. We were overwhelmed by your response, and thanks to YOU, we received nearly 3,000 signatures and the number is still growing!
Ban Ki-moon is set to take the stage at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in less than a week, and your letters will arrive in New York City just in time. Together, we made our message clear that efforts to treat and eliminate NTDs enhance countries’ economic performance and contribute to broader development goals like better access to education, poverty reduction, and improved maternal and child health.
We received about 3,000 signatures! Here I am sizing up the pile.
The Post-2015 Development Agenda, guided by the United Nations, will determine how the world tackles poverty and global development in the years to come. And as we’ve noted, NTDs were already included in the High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda’s report — an important first step. But recognizing of the importance of including NTDs by Ban Ki-moon and others over the next few months be a huge win for the NTD community and the billion plus people suffering from NTDs worldwide. We hope you’ll be listening with us.
P.S. We already mailed our letter, but this action is not over! You can still sign the letter if you haven’t already and share the action with your friends. Momentum for NTD treatment is growing, but we can make this wave even bigger!