Brazzaville, 17 December 2013 -- The 19th session of the Joint Action Forum (JAF) -- the governing body of the Ouagadougou-based African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) - has ended in Brazzaville, Congo, with the endorsement of a new entity that will re-place APOC.

APOC’s mandate ends in 2015 and the new entity approved to succeed it will focus on elephantiasis and river blindness elimination, within the context of a wider neglected tropical diseases (NTD) plan.

A communique issued at the end of the meeting in Brazzaville on Friday said that the meeting also approved the new entity’s strategic plan and a revised budget for 2016-2025. The new entity’s budget requirement for 2016-2025 is estimated at US$813.9 million.

According to the communique, representatives of Nongovernmental Development Organizations tabled pertinent proposals related to accelerating the scaling up of elephantiasis and river blindness interventions, NTD mapping and resource mobilization. They also made proposals related to their representation in the successor body to APOC and the relationship that will exist between WHO and the new regional entity. This relationship will respect  WHO core functions at Regional and Headquarters levels.

Issues relating to partnership, research, programme management and finance featured on the agenda of the three-day meeting.

Speaking during the closing session of the meeting, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, commended partners, donors and countries for the success so far achieved in the fight against NTDs in the African Region.

Dr Sambo pledged WHO’s readiness to adapt to the programmatic structure and personnel profile of the new regional entity which will replace APOC. He added that he expected strong funding support from all partners in order to make possible the establishment of a sustainable entity at the end of APOC’s mandate.

Although concerned about the $22.4 million deficit in APOC’s budget of $50 million for the 2014-2015 biennium, Dr Sambo was optimistic that the goodwill from partners will make it possible for APOC to address the budget deficit.

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For more information, please contact: 

Dr Adiele Onyeze, +47-241-39161; Email: onyezea [at] who.int

Mr Samuel T. Ajibola +47-241-39378; E-mail: ajibolas [at] who.int