The UAE continues its multifaceted efforts and initiatives to reach a world free from neglected tropical diseases that affect the lives of more than 1.6 billion people. This commitment reflects the humanitarian approach and principles of assisting needy populations and caring for human safety and health worldwide.
Tomorrow, the UAE will join the world in celebrating the World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, held this year under the theme “Unite. Act. Achieve the Goal.”
The designation of the World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day was made possible through the UAE’s leading diplomatic efforts with its partners. It was officially announced at the Reaching the Last Mile Forum in Abu Dhabi in 2019, and the World Health Organization formally recognized it in 2021.
The occasion, observed every January 30th, aims to enhance the efforts of global health organizations and involve governmental institutions and the general public in urgent endeavors to eliminate neglected tropical diseases that afflict one in every five people worldwide.
The UAE has a legacy spanning over three decades of commitment to combating neglected tropical diseases. In 1990, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan personally made a generous donation to the Carter Center to support efforts to eradicate Guinea worm disease, one of the neglected tropical diseases. This step marked the beginning of the UAE leadership’s commitment to eliminating the disease that had persisted for decades.