NNN 2025 Reflexivity Statement

In the spirit of progress and collective purpose, the Neglected Tropical Disease NGO Network (NNN) proudly convenes its 2025 conference under the theme: Sustainable Innovations for Impact – Transforming the Fight Against NTDs. From September 30 to October 2, we gather in Kampala, Uganda, a nation emblematic of resilience and leadership in the fight against neglected tropical diseases. Here, we reaffirm a truth as old as humanity itself: when we unite across borders and sectors, when we marry innovation with equity, and when we refuse to accept the status quo, change is not just possible—it is inevitable.

This year, we confront unique challenges: the urgent need to navigate a shifting funding landscape and the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in NTD programming. These are not just challenges, they are opportunities to reimagine what’s possible, to build systems that endure, and to leave no NNN member or community behind.

Positionality of Organizers

The NNN is more than a network, it is a mosaic of voices, a tapestry woven from the expertise and passion of organizations spanning the globe. We are researchers, advocates, frontline health workers, and survivors-turned-champions. Our strength lies in our diversity, but our power derives from our shared duty to lift the burden of NTDs from the shoulders of the most vulnerable.

As architects of this conference, we recognize that our collective experiences shape its vision. That is why we’ve rooted every decision in inclusivity, ensuring perspectives from endemic regions, particularly Africa, which bears 40% of the global NTD burden—are not just heard but centered.

Ethical Considerations and Inclusion

This year, we’ve chosen Kampala not only to jointly celebrate Uganda and the East African regions’s remarkable strides in NTD elimination. Under the leadership of Uganda’s Ministry of Health, this nation has become a beacon of what’s achievable when political will meets community-driven action.

Our hybrid-lite model for the conference is more than a logistical choice, it’s a moral commitment. Whether joining from a university in Nairobi or a clinic in rural Colombia, every voice matters. We’re elevating young professionals and community leaders, because the fight against NTDs cannot be won without those who know the stakes firsthand.

Methodological Transparency and Accountability

The themes guiding this conference, from AI’s ethical implications and capabilities in NTD programming to sustainable financing—were forged through dialogue with you: the health workers, donors, scientists, and advocates on the frontlines. This is a bottom-up agenda, designed to turn collaboration into action.

Through rapid-fire sessions, workshops, and exhibitions, we’re creating spaces for dynamic exchange. But let’s not mistake activity for achievement. Embedded feedback loops will ensure accountability, transforming insights from this conference into blueprints for tomorrow.

Reflection on Impact and Legacy

This gathering is more than a meeting, it’s a catalyst. By aligning with the WHO NTD 2030 road map, we’re not just chasing targets; we’re dismantling the systems that perpetuate disease. Climate change, inequitable funding, fragmented health systems ... these are battles we must fight together.

When we depart Kampala, our work will ripple outward. Policy briefs, regional summits, and partnerships will turn ideas into impact. But the true measure of our success will be written in the lives unshackled from disease, in the health workers empowered, and in the communities that no longer see NTDs as inevitable.

Closing

Two decades ago, the notion of eliminating diseases like river blindness or lymphatic filariasis in our lifetimes seemed audacious. Yet here we stand, on the brink of breakthroughs once deemed impossible. Progress is never handed to us, it’s won through grit, innovation, and the unyielding belief that every life holds equal value.

So let us leave Kampala not just with resolutions, but with resolve. Let us carry forward the spirit of Ubuntu: “I am because we are.” Together, we will write the next chapter, one where neglected diseases meet their match in an unbreakable global community.