Meet our leprosy partners

Overview

Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy

ILEP is a founding partner of the Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy which was launched in 2018 to align the leprosy community and accelerate effective collaboration towards the goal of zero leprosy. See here for information on the importance of the Partnership for achieving ILEP’s vision of a world free from leprosy, and ILEP’s leading role in it.

GPZL’s operations are funded by ILEP, Novartis and Sasakawa Health Foundation. Other members of the Leadership Team include representatives from the Leprosy Research Initiative, the International Association for Integration, Dignity and Economic Advancement (IDEA), national leprosy programmes, scientific organisations, the academic and research community, and support from the World Health Organization (WHO). For a full list of members, visit https://zeroleprosy.org/members.

GPZL’s value proposition is to convene stakeholders, link expertise, and empower and leverage the collective strengths of its members to interrupt transmission of leprosy. During 2023, GPZL is adopting a new, more focused strategy which will be published on GPZL’s website when adopted.

WHO Global Leprosy Programme

ILEP is in official relations with the World Health Organization. ILEP and its Members work in close cooperation with the WHO Global Leprosy Programme at global, regional and country level.

A number of WHO publications are critically important for global leprosy. They include:

With support from ILEP Members, WHO collects, analyses and publishes data each year on progress towards a leprosy-free world. These annual statistics, with analysis, are published each year in the WHO publication Weekly Epidemiological Review. Download the 2021 publication and view ILEP’s commentary on it.

Novartis

Novartis is a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Switzerland. Two of the drugs used in multidrug therapy (MDT), clofazimine and rifampicin, originated in their research laboratories. Novartis has been donating MDT blister packs, distributed through WHO, since 2000 and is currently committed to doing so until at least the end of 2025.

In addition to the drug donation, Novartis is a cornerstone funder of the Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy. The company has a long-standing commitment to leprosy. Novartis teams explore innovative ways to interrupt the transmission of leprosy, particularly including pioneering the implementation of post-exposure prophylaxis for contacts of new patients, and the development of new diagnostic tools and approaches to leprosy screening using digital technology.

 

International Association for Integration, Dignity and Economic Advancement (IDEA)

IDEA is the first international advocacy organisation whose leadership is primarily made up of individuals who have personally faced the challenges of leprosy. Established in 1994, it has branches in 19 countries and a membership of 20,000 in more than 30 countries. IDEA is dedicated to the principle that individuals whose lives have been challenged by leprosy have the right to full and equal participation in society, including the right to equal justice, equal opportunity, and equal dignity without discrimination.

 

 

Nippon Foundation and Sasakawa Health Foundation

The Nippon Foundation is Japan’s largest charitable foundation. Its chairman, Yohei Sasakawa, is the World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination, and TNF is the principal donor for the WHO Global Leprosy Programme.

In 1974 the Nippon Foundation established ILEP Member association Sasakawa Health Foundation with the goal of eliminating Hansen’s disease (leprosy) and the stigma associated with it. Sasakawa Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) Initiative, launched in 2020, brings together the capacities of the WHO Goodwill Ambassador, SHF, and TNF in service to persons affected by leprosy.

International Leprosy Association

Founded in 1931, the International Leprosy Association is a professional society of scientists, practitioners and organisational representatives, working to understand and relieve the problems associated with leprosy. Its primary activity is holding the International Leprosy Congress every three years, in which ILEP and its Members are heavily involved.