【Photo Diary】(2) Visit to Geneva for WHO Annual Conference
Published on June 16, 2025
I would like to share with you some of the photographs taken during my visit to Geneva to attend the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) in my capacity as chairman of The Nippon Foundation and WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination. The WHA is WHO’s decision-making body.
[May 21, Geneva, Switzerland]
I told him that when I met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during his state visit to Japan in March, when I also attended a state banquet that Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan hosted in his honor, the president welcomed our plan to hold a national conference on Hansen’s disease in Brazil in his presence, given a rise in the number of cases of the disease reported in his country.
Minister Padilha said that he had talked with the president just before traveling to Geneva and was instructed that the conference would take place in March 2026. He added that eliminating Hansen’s disease from Brazil is the president’s and the health ministry’s highest priority, and that he was ready to do all he can to overcome the many challenges involved in achieving that goal. I promised our utmost support for their efforts.
After India, has the highest number of cases of the disease in the world.
Noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of cooperation between WHO and The Nippon Foundation/Sasakawa Health Foundation (TNF/SHF), Dr. Tedros expressed his gratitude for our support.
I reported to him that after organizing a national leprosy conference in Nepal in May, the Sasakawa Leprosy (Hansen’s disease) Initiative (SLI) is preparing to organize similar conferences in Sri Lanka, Brazil and Indonesia, as well as Africa. The director-general said he would work closely with us to achieve the goal of zero-leprosy.
SLI is a strategic alliance between the WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination, The Nippon Foundation and the Sasakawa Health Foundation for achieving a world without leprosy and problems related to the disease.
We exchanged views on the island republic’s screening campaign for leprosy in atoll areas, which she said is vital for freeing the country from the disease.
With Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr., Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and WHO Regional Director for the Americas.
He promised to cooperate with us in organizing a national Hansen’s disease conference in Brazil.
I called for his cooperation in holding a leprosy conference of African nations in Addis Ababa, hopefully in 2026, to revitalize our efforts to achieve a leprosy-free continent.
He said he hoped the conference would take place at an early date, but that we would need to consult with the African Union about the timing.
I praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his strong commitment to achieving the ambitious goal of a leprosy-free India by 2030.
She said India achieved elimination of leprosy as a public health problem in 2005, but there are some states that have seen a rise in the number of cases above the WHO defined-levels. Her ministry is working hard in those highly endemic areas with a view to eradicating the disease on a national level, she added.
He said he is willing to participate in a leprosy conference of African nations in Addiss Ababa, expressing his commitment to continue fighting the disease.
(To be continued)