NTDs in the Balance: The Canadian Network for NTDs’ Pre-Budget Submission ahead of Federal Budget 2025
Who ever thought a budget would be exciting? Well, for the Canadian Network for NTDs, this year it was! We had the opportunity to communicate with our stakeholders as we prepared a submission to the Federal Standing Committee on Finance (FINA) about the many ways Canada can invest in NTDs and the broader development and domestic policies that support NTD research and programs. On July 23rd, 2024, we had an open consultation on priority NTD Investments for Canada with member and allied organizations to help us develop recommendations ahead of the 2025 Federal Budget. This white board discussion shows some of the topics we came up with during the consultation.
A primary recommendation is for Canada to fulfill its 2022 endorsement of the Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) by investing a minimum of $50M CAD ($10M per year) over 5 years directly towards new NTD initiatives, working towards allocating 1% or more of global health spending towards neglected tropical diseases. Other recommendations include, but are not limited to, strengthening the global response to address noma, including Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS) within the African SRHR programs the Canadian government supports; and investing in integrated approaches to achieving health for all that are comprehensive, sustainable and climate resilient.
Our recommendations this year were reviewed by our Steering committee after consultation with the following organizations:
National Reference Centre for Parasitology (NRCP)
Neglected Global Diseases Initiative -UBC
Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
Uniting to Combat NTDs (A global NTD advocacy organization, and primary donor for the CNNTD)
World Health Organization, Global NTD Programme
We would invite you to review our final Pre-Budget Submission, which was shared with FINA on August 2nd.
As a global leader in gender equality, health equity, and human rights, Canada has the unique opportunity to champion the fight against NTDs globally. By aligning our efforts with these core values, Canada can further its leadership in global health, while making a tangible difference in the lives of billions.
We look forward to advocating for this budget in the coming months. We believe that the Canadian Government can invest in NTDs as part of its overall development strategy and global health initiatives. Funding NTD interventions provides a return on investment (ROI), and sustained funding and partnerships for NTD initiatives is critical to ensuring progress is made now and to the avail of future generations. We hope this pre-budget submission will support the Finance Committee’s decision-making as it reviews opportunities to invest in a secure, sustainable and healthier world for Canadians and global citizens.
