COP28: UAE sets ground for $777 million fund for Neglected Tropical Diseases with $100 million pledge
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Dubai: In a historic development at COP28’s Health Day on Sunday in Dubai, the UAE set the ground for a whopping $777 million fund to fight Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) with a $100 million pledge.
The significant commitment is towards the World Health Organisation’s 2030 roadmap for NTDs. President His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has commited $100 million to expand the Reaching the Last Mile (RLM) fund targeting 39 African countries endemic to river blindness and Lymphatic Filariasis (elephantiasis), along with Yemen, announced Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation.
The RLM fund was launched in 2017 by Sheikh Mohammed with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, On Sunday, Bill Gates announced that his foundation would match the new $100 million fund from Sheikh Mohammed.
NTDs are a diverse group of 20 conditions that are mainly prevalent in tropical areas, where they affect more than 1 billion people who live in impoverished communities. They are caused by a variety of pathogens including viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi and toxins.
