Report of the second WHO stakeholders meeting on gambiense human African trypanosomiasis elimination Geneva, 21–23 March 2016
Publication details
African trypanosomiasis
Number of pages: iv, 54 p.
Publication date: December 2016
Languages: English
ISBN: 978 92 4 151152 0
WHO reference number:
WHO/HTM/NTD/IDM/2016.4
Overview
In 2014, WHO convened the main stakeholders involved in the gambiense HAT elimination objective in order to strengthen the mechanisms of collaboration among the multiple partners. The meeting reviewed the epidemiological situation and existing challenges, refined the objectives for control, and identified the gaps in basic and implementation research to be filled to achieve elimination.
Also in 2014, a WHO network for gambiense HAT elimination was created to coordinate, harmonize and optimize synergies among sleeping sickness national control programmes, international organizations, donors, foundations and nongovernmental organizations, and scientific institutions developing new tools. The network meets biennially and commissions groups to address the various aspects of elimination. These include annual country progress meetings, a scientific consultative group and an implementation coordination group (divided into five subgroups on development of new tools; operational research; ad-hoc country coordination; advocacy and financial resource mobilization; and integration of new tools into national and global policies). For rhodesiense HAT, a similar but simpler structure was created in October 2014.
During the past 2 years the working groups have met and built the necessary dynamic among the multiple partners as well as the many facets, methodologies and strategies needed to attain elimination. The progress reports of each working group of the WHO Network for HAT elimination formed the basis for the agenda of the second WHO stakeholders meeting on the elimination of gambiense HAT (Geneva, 21–23 March 2016).
The objectives of the meeting were:
- to maintain the commitment of national authorities and technical and financial partners to WHO’s elimination objective for gambiense HAT;
- to share and assess achievements, challenges and views on the elimination goal among countries and implementing partners since the first meeting held in 2014;
- to assess the status of critical technical aspects in research and development of therapeutic and diagnostic tools, epidemiology and vector control; and
- to analyse and discuss the collaboration and coordination among stakeholders during the past 2 years and for the future.
