Reaching the unreached: the critical role of NGOs in beating NTDs

Uniting to Combat NTDs 5th Progress Report

As trusted partners, NGOs have supported global and national NTD programmes in unique, often catalysing ways: ensuring national ownership of programmes, building technical capacity, undertaking research to provide the evidence for effective, scalable programme delivery and, most importantly in terms of achieving the SDGs, connecting some of the hardest-to-reach communities with formal health systems.

The NTD NGO Network (NNN), representing nearly 80 organizations, is a partner of national programmes in 100 NTD-endemic countries and manages more than US$ 500 million in investments for a world free of NTDs. It provides a global forum for NGOs that are contributing to the control, elimination and management of these diseases according to the internationally agreed WHO NTD roadmap.

The NTD NGO Network represents nearly 80 organizations, is a partner of national programmes in more than 100 countries and invests more than US$ 500 million in grant funding and private investments to fight NTDs.

The BEST framework: a new platform for action and engagement

The momentum of the SDGs has driven further evolution of how the NTD sector thinks, talks and gets down to business. The BEST framework, launched by the NNN in 2016 as a platform for action and engagement, was developed to support the SDG goals of reaching the hardest to reach and ensuring that no one is left behind.

Developed with widespread consultation, the BEST framework provides a platform for accountability and cross-sectoral action by the NTD community in respect of behaviour, the environment, social inclusion, equity, treatment and care to drive progress in achieving national and global NTD targets.