WHO and partners drive improved alignment for effective NTD and supply chain delivery

The World Health Organization (WHO), together with ministries of health, pharmaceutical donors, implementing partners and technical support platforms, convened three back-to-back meetings in Geneva on 22–25 September 2026 to strengthen coordination for neglected tropical disease (NTD) programmes and medicines supply chains.

The meetings – the NTD Supply Chain Forum (NTD-SCF), the Supply Chain Technical Support Mechanism (SCTSM) and the Global Coordination and Stewardship Committee (GCSC) – brought together global, regional and national stakeholders to review progress, address persistent supply chain challenges and consider how NTD programmes can prepare for the changing environment toward and beyond 2030.

Throughout the week, discussions focused on improving forecasting and supply planning, strengthening data visibility and accountability, reducing delays in the movement of medicines, improving alignment with national systems, and identifying supply chain risks early enough for countries and partners to act.

NTD Supply Chain Forum (22–23 September)

The NTD-SCF annual meeting brought together ministries of health, WHO, pharmaceutical donors, nongovernmental organizations, logistics providers and technical partners to review progress and address operational and strategic supply chain priorities.

Participants reviewed actions from the previous annual meeting and discussed challenges across the medicine supply chain, including forecasting, order and shipment timelines, customs clearance, inventory visibility and medicine utilization. Country and partner experiences highlighted the importance of reliable data and clearer coordination across the different stages from programme planning and medicine requests through shipment, delivery and use.

Discussions also examined opportunities to strengthen alignment between NTD medicine management and national health and logistics information systems. Participants emphasized building on existing country systems and processes rather than creating parallel approaches.

WHO-led sessions reviewed progress toward the 2030 NTD road map and the changing environment facing NTD programmes. Participants discussed the supply chain actions needed to advance and sustain progress, as well as how country leadership, financing, partnerships and technical support may need to evolve beyond 2030.

Supply Chain Technical Support Mechanism (24 September)

The SCTSM annual meeting focused on practical country experiences in strengthening forecasting, supply planning, inventory management and national supply chain systems.

The eight SCTSM priority countries have now developed validated NTD supply chain standard operating procedures (SOPs), compared with three countries when the initiative began. Country experiences also demonstrated improvements in specific supply chain processes. Uganda reported reducing customs-clearance time from approximately 90 days to 20 days, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported a 63% reduction in clearance time and no demurrage during the period discussed.

Participants also highlighted increasing country leadership. Kenya, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been first to lead rotating country coordination meetings with other countries to follow. These meetings support greater exchange of practical experiences among countries.

Multi-year forecasting was another major focus. Four countries presented forecasts extending toward 2030, providing an opportunity to examine assumptions about treatment needs, available inventory, programme changes and funding. Discussions emphasized that forecasts must be regularly reviewed against changing programme conditions and reliable supply chain data if they are to support useful decisions.

Participants also discussed reverse logistics, customs processes and opportunities to strengthen integration of NTD medicine management with central medical stores and national logistics systems.

Global Coordination and Stewardship Committee (25 September)

The GCSC meeting concluded the week with a focus on global stewardship, accountability, systemic supply chain risks and preparation for 2027 and beyond.

Participants discussed strengthening the way supply chain performance and challenges are monitored and followed through to resolution. A proposed evidence and performance framework would bring together information from existing sources, including NTDeliver, Joint Application Package metrics, country feedback and working-group outputs, to improve visibility of exceptions, responsible owners, timelines and decisions required.

Forecasting and end-to-end accountability for donated medicines were also central themes. Participants discussed the importance of longer-term visibility of medicine requirements and stronger accountability from forecasting and ordering through shipment, distribution and use. Medicine expiry, unaccounted inventory, customs delays and regulatory barriers were among the systemic risks considered.

The Committee also examined the increasing integration of NTD activities with other health campaigns. Country experiences highlighted both the opportunities and operational complexities associated with coordinating medicines, financing, transport and data across programmes.

Looking beyond 2030, participants considered how countries and partners can prepare for possible changes in medicine donations and external programme financing. Discussions highlighted the importance of beginning transition planning early and considering forecasting, financing, procurement, regulatory and quality requirements, legal arrangements and advocacy together rather than as separate issues.

Looking ahead

The 2026 meetings highlighted important progress while reinforcing the need for continued coordination across the NTD medicine supply chain.

Country experiences demonstrated measurable improvements in areas such as customs clearance, national SOPs and country-led coordination. At the same time, discussions across all three meetings underscored persistent challenges related to forecasting, inventory visibility, medicine utilization, shipment timelines and accountability.

As 2030 approaches, WHO, countries and partners will continue working to strengthen national systems, improve visibility and predictability across the supply chain and prepare for changes in the global health and financing environment.

Continued collaboration across the NTD-SCF, SCTSM and GCSC will support more timely identification of risks, clearer accountability and sustainable access to quality-assured NTD medicines for the populations that need them.