ESPEN’s Luncheon: For an Africa Free of Neglected Tropical Diseases

The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, through the Expanded Special Project for Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ESPEN) is organizing a luncheon for an update on the collective progress towards NTD control and elimination in the African Region.

This luncheon specifically aims to:

• Introduce ESPEN, its mandate and mission to key stakeholders;
• Mark ESPEN’s one year anniversary and the collective achievements of the partnership;
• Encourage partners and countries to close financial gaps to reach targets;
• Highlight country progress, ownership and leadership.

This luncheon will take place Thursday, April 20th, 2017 from 12:45pm to 13:45pm at the InterContinental Hotel in Geneva.

The 2017 NTD Summit

2017 marks the 5th anniversary of the World Health Organization’s roadmap on NTDs, the World Health Assembly resolution on NTDs (WHA66.12) and the London Declaration. To celebrate this milestone, Uniting to Combat NTDs, the World Health Organization and the NTD community will host an NTD Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, April 18-19, 2017. This high-profile event will celebrate the community’s achievements over the past 5 years and will plan for the future in which the NTD community will control, eliminate and eradicate 10 neglected tropical diseases. The Summit will also include technical discussions with partners to define a clear path towards the 2020 goals and beyond.

For more information about the NTD Summit: http://unitingtocombatntds.org/ntd-summit-2017

About ESPEN

The Expanded Special Project for the Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ESPEN) is a platform, hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa (AFRO), dedicated to reducing the burden of five preventable neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Africa.

ESPEN provides African countries with technical assistance and fundraising tools to accelerate the control and elimination of the five Neglected Tropical Diseases amenable to Preventive Chemotherapy (PC-NTDs): Onchocerciasis, Lymphatic Filariasis, Schistosomiasis, Soil Transmitted Helminths and Trachoma. ESPEN is a five-year project nested within the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) and is inspired by the World Health Organization’s 2020 Roadmap on NTDs.

For more information about ESPEN: http://www.afro.who.int/en/espen.html