From Yokohama to the World: Youth and Experts Call for Action on NTDs at TICAD9

On August 20, 2025, NTDs Youth Japan hosted an official thematic event of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9: https://www.mofa.go.jp/af/af1/pagewe_000001_00053.html) at Pacifico Yokohama. Experts from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, and youth leaders from Japan, Tanzania, and Kenya came together to discuss the future of global health.
The hybrid event, held both in Yokohama and online, attracted 168 participants from 34 countries, connecting local and global voices.

【Key Highlights】
Opening Remarks - Mr. Masato Izutsu, MHLW stressed that youth engagement is "more important than ever" as global health enters a turning point. He reaffirmed Japan's commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) under the principle of "leaving no one behind," and highlighted Japan's contributions through WHO AFRO and the GHIT Fund.

【Short Reports】
Session I: Short Talks
・Mika S. Ndayiziga, WHO AFRO (ESPEN)
"NTDs remain a pressing challenge today. Youth are not the future-they are the present, and their energy drives progress."
・Noel Awa, Founder, Global Alliance for NTDs Elimination (Kenya)
"Youth are pacemakers, cheerleaders, and leaders in the fight against NTDs. Sustainable efforts require national ownership and budget integration."
・Yona Ngaza, One Health Society (Tanzania)
"With 60% of Africa's population being young people, their involvement is indispensable for eliminating NTDs."
・Mami Umeki, NTDs Youth Japan
"Eliminating infectious diseases is not only a health issue, but also a social and economic one. Now is the time for decisive youth-led action toward 2030."

Session II: Panel Discussion
Ms. Marie-Ange Saraka-Yao of Gavi joined a dynamic discussion on the themes of "Country Ownership" and "Youth Engagement."

【Next Steps】
Participants voted on three proposed initiatives, selecting the "Touch 10K Challenge - NTD Sprint" as the next collaborative action! This will be a global campaign before World NTD Day (Jan 30) where youth compete to spread NTD awareness as widely as possible-through social media, school talks, community events, and more. So far, 20 youth from 10 countries have committed to join.

Check our Japanese press release page : https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000014.000134800.html

- What are neglected tropical diseases(NTDs)? -
NTDs are a group of 21 infectious and parasitic diseases primarily affecting impoverished populations in tropical regions (e.g., dengue fever, leprosy, rabies), affecting approximately 1.5 billion people worldwide. Despite the fact that many of these diseases are preventable and treatable, they remain "neglected" due to a combination of factors including inadequate healthcare services, poor sanitation, poverty, and unequal access to information.

NTDs Youth Japan - Communications Office
Address: Komori-Building 4A, Hakata-eki-mae, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka prefecture, 812-0011, Japan
E-mail: office@ntds-youth-japan.org
Website: https://ntds-youth.org

NTDs Youth Japan is a Japanese general incorporated association that focuses on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). With the goal of eradicating NTDs, we work with domestic and international partners involved in NTDs to raise awareness of the importance of this issue and conduct advocacy activities (policy proposals).

This release was published on openPR.