Reaching the Last Mile Forum, Dubai, UAE

Reaching the Last Mile Forum, Dubai, UAE

Medicines Development for Global Health attended the 2023 Reaching the Last Mile Forum in Dubai on December 3, 2023. The forum took place in parallel to the COP28 conference (United Nations Climate Change Conference) and was intended to draw attention to the threat climate change poses to global health progress.

As temperatures rise and weather patterns shift, water- and vector-borne diseases including neglected tropical diseases are able to spread further and faster. For example, dengue fever has recently been reported in Europe. In turn, this places addition strain on health infrastructure and workforces, which are already stretched dangerously thin in low- and middle-income countries. This meeting seeks to drive new momentum, innovation and investment towards solving climate-health challenges.

The forum saw the announcement that US$777 million has been committed by countries, donors, philanthropists, and NGOs to help meet World Health Organization NTD Roadmap goals for 2030. Significantly, it was also announced that the Reaching the Last Mile Fund will be expanding from its initial US$100 million investment to US$500 million, expressly to drive the elimination of river blindness and lymphatic filariasis.

Representing the company at COP28, Mark Sullivan, AO, Founder and Managing Director od Medicines Development for Global Health said: "Reaching the last mile in any elimination program is the hardest part of the journey, but it was wonderful to see the generosity of so many groups to step up and commit to achieve elimination of river blindness and lymphatic filariasis."

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