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Global Appeal 2021 Urges World to Uphold “Right to Work” of Persons Affected by Leprosy (2) [2021年02月10日（Wed）]
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The webinar on “Zero Leprosy for Whom in the Post-COVID World?” It was in 2006 that I initiated the Global Appeal to End Stigma and Discrimination against Persons Affected by Leprosy. The annual appeal is issued on or near World Leprosy Day, which falls on the last Sunday of January. It calls for an end to the unwarranted discrimination that persons affected by leprosy continue to face and aims to spread awareness of this issue. Its message is threefold: leprosy is curable, free treatment is available around the world, and discrimination against persons affected by leprosy has no place. Over the years, this message has been endorsed by, among others, political, business, academic and religious leaders around the world. In conjunction with Global Appeal 2021, Sasakawa Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) Initiative (SLI) organized a four-part webinar taking place over four days in the week leading up to World Leprosy Day on January 31. “Zero Leprosy for Whom in the Post-COVID World?” was intended to highlight why leprosy still requires our attention and what needs to happen if we are to achieve a world without leprosy and its accompanying challenges. In a video message I contributed for day one, I said I was very happy that 22 organizations of people affected by leprosy−mostly supported by The Nippon Foundation and the Sasakawa Health Foundation−from 18 countries were participating, and told them: “In the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, I think it is more important than ever to make your voices heard. I want you to play a central role.” Noting that case detection and treatment have been affected in many countries because of the impact of the coronavirus and that access to medical care has become more difficult and discrimination has got worse, I told participants that “leprosy must not be pushed aside, even during the coronavirus pandemic” and said I strongly hope to resume my overseas activities as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination at the earliest opportunity. I also contributed a video message to another webinar held the previous week on “Initiatives for Preservation of Leprosy History in Europe,” telling participants: “By looking at the history of leprosy from different perspectives−such as medical care, human rights and social welfare−we can gain insights that help us find solutions to the issues facing us today.” I noted that the history of leprosy is the history of a disease that has been transformed into a curable disease thanks to modern chemotherapy, but is also a history of mistakes and misapprehensions that led patients to be excluded and discriminated against. Above all, I said, “it is a history of the struggle of patients and their families in the face of the disease and the discrimination, and also of the efforts of healthcare professionals” against leprosy. Considering what leprosy has to teach us, The Nippon Foundation and the Sasakawa Health Foundation have supported efforts to preserve the history of leprosy in many countries so that current and future generations can learn from it. “We have a responsibility to draw valuable lessons from the history of leprosy and the transgressions committed by humankind, and pass these lessons on to future generations,” I said. (End) The webinar on “Initiatives for Preservation of Leprosy History in Europe” |