2nd Global Forum of People’s Organizations on Hansen’s Disease to be held from Nov 6-8 in Hyd

The forum will focus on capacity building to promote dignity of people affected

The 2nd Global Forum of People’s Organizations on Hansen’s Disease takes place in Hyderabad from November 6 to 8, 2022. Organised by Sasakawa Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) Initiative as part of its “Don’t Forget Leprosy” campaign, the forum is being held ahead of the 21st International Leprosy Congress (ILC), which brings together the key stakeholders in the field of leprosy.

Around 100 people from over 20 countries are expected to take part in the Global Forum, including representatives of 20 People’s Organizations and nine supporting organisations, the UN Special Rapporteur on leprosy, as well as special guests Miss World Brazil and Miss Supranational India.

Also attending will be WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination Yohei Sasakawa, who together with The Nippon Foundation and Sasakawa Health Foundation makes up the strategic alliance known as the Sasakawa Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) Initiative.  

Held over three days in a hybrid on-site/online format, the theme of the Global Forum is “Strengthening and maximizing the roles and capacities of People’s Organizations to promote the dignity of persons affected by Hansen’s disease.”

Coming in the wake of three difficult years in which communities of persons affected by leprosy have been hard hit by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the forum will focus on empowering their organizations to tackle more effectively the remaining challenges in leprosy as seen from the perspective of those who have personally experienced the disease. 

The programme includes sessions on capacity building, forming good partnerships, and achieving inclusion, with participants sharing best practices, while on the final day there will be many side events at which 18 organizations will introduce their activities. Many of these organizations have been active in the Don’t Forget Leprosy campaign, which was launched in August 2021 and is being led by WHO Goodwill Ambassador Sasakawa to ensure that measures against leprosy and support for those it affects are not neglected amid the pandemic.

The forum’s conclusions and recommendations, representing the collective voice of People’s Organizations around the world, will be presented on the opening day of the ILC on November 9 by Maya Ranavare, the president of India’s Association of Persons Affected by Leprosy, one of the People’s Organizations taking part.