Reflection: Unlimit Health welcomes the Global Partnerships Conference focus on sustainable, country-led development

As global leaders convene for the Global Partnerships Conference (GPC) on 19 and 20 May 2026, Unlimit Health welcomes the conference’s focus on sustainable financing, equitable partnerships, and country-led development.

Co-hosted by the UK Government, the Government of South Africa, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), and British International Investment (BII), the conference will bring together governments, philanthropies, investors, civil society organisations, and technology leaders to discuss the future of global cooperation in an increasingly interconnected world.

The conference priorities closely reflect what neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) elimination demands: integrated health systems, genuine country ownership, climate-resilient approaches, and partnerships built on mutual respect rather than donor dependency. We also emphasise the importance of coordinated responses to emerging global health challenges exacerbated by climate change, conflict, migration, and other environmental, social, and economic pressures, issues that disproportionately impact the most marginalised communities.

In recent years, Unlimit Health has increasingly moved beyond disease control programmes, towards integrated health system strengthening and country-led elimination strategies. This includes supporting ministries of health to embed NTD surveillance into broader health information systems, strengthen cross-sectoral coordination, improve integrated service delivery, including health workforce capacity, and co-design with in-country stakeholders, community-centred approaches that place affected populations at the heart of programme design and delivery. 

This is precisely the kind of transition the Global Partnership Conference calls for: moving beyond donor-directed service delivery towards sustained, country-owned systems that can withstand disruption and deliver lasting results. 

The conference’s recognition of the links between climate stability, environmental systems and global health has direct relevance to parasitic disease elimination. Climate change is reshaping transmission patterns and distribution of diseases such as schistosomiasis through environmental disruption, displacement and increasing pressure on health systems. Unlimit Health’s One Health System Strengthening approach reflects this reality, recognising the connections between human health water, sanitation, agriculture, and the environment. Community-centred approaches that bridge these sectors are often y more equitable and more resilient to climate-related impacts. 

The conference’s shift away from reliance on external aid towards stronger domestic financing resonates with Unlimit Health’s experience of it, helping align long-term financing approaches with national priorities. This transition is not just a funding mechanism question. It requires building the governance capacity, evidence-base, and policy environment that enables countries to make the case for domestic NTD investment — and to sustain it. Partnerships between stakeholders and across sectors will be critical to deliver these ambitions for a reshaped global cooperation approach.

Dr Wendy Harrison, Chief Executive Officer, Unlimit Health, emphasises the importance of collaboration in tackling complex, interlinked global challenges: “Global challenges such as climate change, conflict and inequality are intensifying pressures on the communities most affected by neglected tropical diseases. This makes strong, equitable, country-led partnerships essential for building resilient health systems and accelerating progress towards the elimination of parasitic diseases.”

Achieving global health targets, including Sustainable Development Goal 3.3 for NTDs, requires a fundamentally different model of partnership. Local expertise, lived experience, and community knowledge are the foundation on which effective solutions are built. This means creating programmes with affected communities ensuring  genuine country ownership across research and programme design and implementation. This is the standard we are holding ourselves to at Unlimit Health.