Advancing the Neglected Tropical Diseases Programme
Background and Rationale
The Neglected Tropical Diseases Supply Chain Forum (NTD-SCF) was established in 2012 as a public-private partnership to address the critical challenges of ensuring timely, efficient delivery of donated NTD medicines to over 70 endemic countries. The NTD-SCF continues to evolve as a collaborative platform that convenes pharmaceutical donors, the World Health Organization (WHO), implementing partners, ministries of health, logistics providers, and funders to solve complex supply chain challenges and advance the WHO 2030 NTD Roadmap goals.
The 2025 Annual Meeting comes at a pivotal time: global NTD efforts face new operational realities, including funding shortfalls, restructuring within WHO, and increasing demands for data transparency and in-country capacity. This year's meeting will foster alignment on evolving priorities and showcase innovations, tools, and collaborations aimed at making NTD supply chains more adaptive and resilient.
Purpose of the Meeting
The 2025 NTD-SCF Annual Meeting aims to:
- Review global and country-level progress on NTD supply chain initiatives
- Explore how global changes—such as WHO’s restructuring and donor funding shifts—impact delivery operations
- Present innovations including forecasting and planning tools, NTD Supply Chain Data Management Tool (NTDeliver) updates, and new partner platforms
- Align on strategies for coordination across stakeholders to safeguard medicine delivery and strengthen sustainability
- Engage directly with countries and partners on data use, performance monitoring, and support mechanisms
Priorities
The 2025 Annual Meeting will focus on several key priorities:
- WHO Reorganization & Funding Update: Understand implications of WHO's internal restructuring and USAID funding constraints on supply coordination and partner support.
- Innovation in Forecasting & Planning: Highlight updates to NTDeliver, new forecasting tools, and the Joint Application Package (JAP) process.
- Country-Level Data Ownership: Promote adoption of tools that support in-country data collection, use, and visibility.
- Partner Engagement: Strengthen alignment across pharmaceutical donors, WHO, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and technical support platforms (e.g., Supply Chain Technical Support Mechanism (SCTSM), DHL Control Tower).
- Capacity Building: Support feedback loops through workshops, interactive sessions, and opportunities for partner exchange.
Meeting Format
The meeting will be a hybrid event, combining in-person sessions at the WHO Headquarters with virtual participation to ensure broad engagement from stakeholders unable to travel to Geneva. The two-day event will include a mix of presentations, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities.
Closing
The 2025 NTD-SCF Annual Meeting offers a critical opportunity for partners to collectively assess progress, exchange innovations, and reaffirm commitments to delivering NTD medicines efficiently and sustainably. As the global landscape evolves, this forum remains a trusted space for open dialogue, technical collaboration, and strategic alignment. By working together across sectors and regions, we can strengthen supply chains and advance toward the 2030 NTD Roadmap goals—ensuring that no community is left behind in the fight against neglected tropical diseases.